In Your Dreams
by storygirl1015
Summary: It's all thanks to a mix-up by her best friend that Sakura gets stuck playing maid to a bunch of pompous, possessive, drop-dead gorgeous billionaires. ALL. SUMMER. LONG. It'd be ok...if they'd just stop groping her. rating pending
1. Chapter 1

**Should this be a one-shot or a multi-chapter story? You read and decide. Let me know how I did and if I should continue. Probably just a one-shot for now (my first **_**ever**_**) with a possible multi-chapter sequel depending on how well this goes.**

**I don't own Naruto.**

**Oh! And this fic is dedicated to **_**Ketsueki no Kuki**_**, an awesome writer, and recently a good pen pal of mine~**

**P.S. I might have made a few minor changes to a few characters physical appearances. Like for example, Pein has some added piercings. Little things like that, but nothing too major, ok? ****Also, the majority of this chapter is mostly Sakura's flashbacks to summarize events that happened before the story started, but do to my personal preference in narrative, it will be told from a third-person viewpoint, ok? **

**Summary**: Sakura Haruno is a simple, down-to-earth med student with a normal enough life, until a major screw-up finds her working as the newest hostess for a resort club only the rich, stuck-up, (and apparently perverted) can afford. Now Sakura must combat the advances of horny, clingy billionaires while wondering _WHY_ they've chosen her when they could have anyone else on earth. But when she gets the chance to find out, will she _really _want to know what goes on in the minds of men?

* * *

><p>Sakura Haruno sighed loudly in exasperation, her droopy jade green eyes staring dully at the ceiling of the large cabin, as she listened to the collection of low breathing, shuffling, snores, and the occasional moan, coming from all around her.<p>

Her arms were folded behind her head and she was studying the wooden planks of the sloped ceiling out of sheer boredom. For some reason, she couldn't sleep, no matter how tired she was.

Actually, it wasn't exactly hard to figure out why, with the way Naruto was leaning against her, his back to her with the bulk of his weight pressing on her side, and Deidara, with one arm draped across her stomach and his warm breath tickling her ear, was snuggling up to her as close as he could possibly get.

And so it had gone for the young pinkette for many restless nights, her trying to sleep without being squashed, molested, or squeezed to death, and always somehow drifting off to sleep only to wake up later in the night to find herself awkwardly wedged between the many wealthy men in various positions. Each as precarious or uncomfortable as the next.

Yes, it was pure, testosterone-induced _hell _for poor, misfortunate Sakura.

Tonight was another such night, and she was idly contemplating, sleep nagging at the edges of her mind, with her refusing to surrender, lest she wake up and find herself the middle of a cuddle-happy blond sandwich, how the hell any of this had happened.

Up until recently, she had led the extremely normal life of a twenty-year old young woman living and working in the heart of the bustling city, trying to finish the last part of her residency at med school and become a doctor like she'd always dreamed of being.

But as she felt a very distinctive jerk of movement near her left thigh, and a hand slithered from underneath a blanket to slowly trail its way up her cool skin, her eye twitched violently and she was forcibly reminded of how life had suddenly taken an unexpected, and oh so unimaginable turn for the bizarre.

And to think it all started with a simple mix-up, courtesy of her so called best friend (though Sakura was still reconsidering)... She remembered it all perfectly, how just a few short weeks ago she'd woken up with absolutely no idea how upside-down her once simple life was about to become.

_Flashback_

"_Sakura, get up! It's almost time for you to get to work and I'm leaving in fifteen minutes." Her roommate and long-time friend, Ino Yamanaka called out, shaking the pinkette by the shoulders._

"_Ngh...mo away Imo..." she grumbled into her pillow, turning so that her back was facing the blond and snuggling further into the comfort of her nice, warm covers. _

_The blond stared at the girl's back for a minute, placing both hands on her hips and blowing a few long strands of hair from her sky blue eyes. "Okay forehead girl, you've forced me to do this..." she said, narrowing her eyes. _

_She sucked in a deep breath, something that, had the pink-haired girl been able to see, would have made her cringe and instantly cover her ears in fear of losing her hearing. Ino smirked inwardly at the oblivious pinkette, mentally counting down until..._

"_I SAID WAKE UP, YOU LAZY BILLBOARD BROW!" Ino screamed at the top of her lungs, snatching the covers out from underneath the cherry blossom and causing her to flop on the floor with a dull thud. _

_She smirked evilly, chuckling quietly to herself as she watched her friend scramble up from the carpeted floor, her tired, green eyes narrowed and a heavy frown on her face, a few stray hairs stuck up at odd angles, her chin-length pink hair being completely disheveled. Even Sakura's grumpiest face was still absolutely adorable, the blond noted._

_She slowly looked up to the blond through her bubble gum pink bangs, her eyes glinting with murderous intent. "Ino-pig..." she growled._

"_Yes, Sakura dear?" the blond smiled sweetly. _

"_YOU'D BETTER GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW OR YOU'LL BE IN WORST TROUBLE THAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN!" Sakura hissed venomously, standing up to dust herself off and glaring daggers at the blond-haired _fiend_. _

"_Fine, just be ready in ten minutes or I'm leaving without you," Ino replied, calmly walking out of the room. Sakura huffed out an exasperated sigh at her blond roommate and glared daggers at the door as if somehow they would reach her._

_She and Ino had known each other since early childhood, when the blond had saved her from some bullies in the park one day. Shy, clumsy Sakura had then immediately attached herself to the confident girl who she'd come to see as something of a role model. Eventually, with Ino's help, the pinkette had grown into a self-assured, strong-willed and just downright stubborn young woman._

_Now, at age twenty-one she was a fiery-willed, independent and extremely hard working medical student, trying to pay her way through college and be able to afford her own place sometime in the next few years. _

_Sure, having the money from the scholarships she'd earned due to all her earnest efforts helped, but she still had to chip in to pay all the bills around the house. Not to mention day to day expenses._

_She stripped off her clothes and tossed them in the clothes hamper before adjusting the temperature of the shower and climbing in with a contented sigh. She loved how the water felt against her skin._

_There was perhaps nothing more relaxing than a nice, warm soak after a long day of work, and she knew she could easily drift back to sleep right then and there, standing up, with how tired she was if she allowed herself. _

_So instead she focused on getting washed, grabbing the soap and shampoo and lathering the products on her hair and body. She was soon covered in suds and rinsing the strawberry-scented shampoo away as she continued to scrub herself thoroughly with her other hand. _

_She got out and dried herself with the fluffy pink towel marked with a large, green cursive 'S' hanging from the rack, wrapping a smaller light green towel around her hair as she exited the bathroom. The shower had only taken a little over five minutes, so she had time to get dressed calmly, pulling out her underclothes, a matching pink-plaid bra and underwear set and slipping them on. _

_Next she pulled on her casual clothes—stone-washed skinny jeans and a long-sleeved red t-shirt with a short-sleeved white jacket decorated with cute little pink hearts on over it. Feeling satisfied, she headed out into the living room to see Ino sprawled across the couch and apparently flipping through numbers on her phone out of boredom. _

_She looked up when Sakura entered, doing a quick once-over of her wardrobe before frowning slightly. "I keep telling you that you'll never get a boyfriend if you dress so plainly. It's as if you don't __care __whether guys notice you or not! Why don't you wear those cute clothes I bought you? I guarantee you'd have guys eating out of the palm of your hand, Sakura!" the blond exclaimed, getting up and waving her arms around dramatically._

_The pinkette merely rolled her eyes at the antics. "Whatever, Ino. That might work for you, someone who's used to living the glamorous life of the rich and beautiful, and surrounded by handsome men on a daily basis, but that kind of lifestyle just isn't for me. I don't have time to dress to impress when I'm working at the clinic and trying to take care of patients. When's the last time you ever heard of a doctor performing open-heart surgery in six inch stiletto heels and designer couture?" Sakura snapped, crossing her arms over her chest firmly._

"_How should I know? I work on the runways of New York, and Tokyo and France, Pari'!" the blonde beamed proudly, accenting the last word for emphasis, stars twinkling in her eyes._

"_Never, Ino! Style just isn't practical in my line of work. Taking care of the patient is always the number one priority; everything else is secondary. Including personal relationships and romantic engagements."_

"_Hmph... you'll live to regret that, someday Sakura. Not taking enough time to enjoy yourself, I mean. But I don't have time to lecture you right now. We need to go. If I'm not down at the studio by quarter to seven, well..." the blond made a point of grimacing and drawing a perfectly manicured nail across her throat in a cutting motion. _

"_It's no new promotional photo shoot in Hollywood this fall, and I've been __dying__ to go there since forever! It's an opportunity for a shopping spree that absolutely _cannot _be missed," Ino drawled out as if in a frenzy. "So let's get going!" _

_Sakura rolled her eyes. Summer had only just begun and Ino was already thinking about a shoot in the States this __fall__._

_She then grabbed Sakura's arm and proceeded to drag the petite pink-haired woman out the door and down the stairs of their contemporary, urbanized apartment complex. _

_It was all paid for by Ino's modeling company being that she was currently their most popular forerunner in a new fashion campaign scheduled to be released some time by the end of next month._

_Still, they _did_ have bills to pay, and Ino insisted that a top model had to look her best at all times, so a great deal of her pocket money was spent on all the latest and greatest makeup, beauty care products, clothes, and priceless jewelry on the market, leaving poor Sakura to foot the appliance bills. _

"_Fine..." Sakura sighed; getting dragged around by Ino was never one of her favorite things. "But just make sure you drop off my job application for me on your way from the studio today, okay?" _

_They got in Ino's baby blue mustang and she peeled off from the high-end condo. _

"_Sure, forehead-girl, don't get your panties in a bunch. I said I'd take care of it didn't I?" she laughed, thrumming her manicured nails on the wheel as her long blond hair whipped behind her in the wind._

_Sakura raised a pink eyebrow skeptically. "You say a lot of things," she reminded her blond friend pointedly. _

_Sakura had arranged through one of Tsunade's friends to work at a summer camp for children undergoing treatment for horrible illnesses as a way to broaden her horizons and help pay for medical school. She was a scholarship student, but she __**still**__ had other bills. Plus, she loved working with children and seeing their faces light up with happy smiles, so it was a win-win situation right?_

'_Pssh! Whatever, just leave it to me!" Ino smiled behind her designer sunglasses as she dropped Sakura off in front of the hospital she was interning at. _

"_Tah-Tah!" She waved to the pinkette before speeding away, causing Sakura to shake her head with a sigh. _

'How did we become friends again?_' she wondered to herself, heading into the building._

_That afternoon when Ino returned to pick Sakura up, the pinkette's spirits had lifted. It'd been a successful day of training, and her mentor, the world-renowned medic Tsunade had praised her profusely. She got into the car after greeting Ino, and immediately inquired about the errand she'd asked the blond to complete._

"_Oh that," Ino smiled as she flipped some blond locks to the side and reached down to pull something out of the car's side pocket—a fair-sized stack of papers. "See for yourself, I turned everything in and...you got accepted! Congratulations Sakura!"_

_Sakura grinned as she accepted the papers. "Thanks Ino, I've really been looking forward to this!" Ino pulled away from the curb as Sakura excitedly shuffled the papers, before she noticed something. The print on the paper was unfamiliar...she quickly flipped through them again, trying to be sure. There was no way she'd gotten it wrong...could it be that—_

_Her eyes landed to the words printed on the front page and she stared, wide-eyed and horrified. "Ino..." she drawled slowly._

"_Mm, yeah Sakura?" Ino hummed lightly, completely oblivious to the pinkette's mortified daze as she continued to speed down the highway._

"_Please tell me that this _isn't_ a form for what I think it is..."_

_Ino raised a skeptical eyebrow at her friend's calm yet borderline-panicked statement. "Huh? What are you talking about forehead? Didn't you ask me to turn in your application at the club?"_

"_NO!" the cherry blossom exploded. "AT THE _CAMP_, I ASKED YOU TO TAKE THIS TO CAMP TSUBASA!"_

"_Whoops...I must've missed that part. Sorry, Sakura." The blond grinned sheepishly._

"_ACCORDING TO THIS, I'M NOW THE HOSTESS AT SOME PLACE CALLED CLUB PARIDASU!"_

"_The one where all the millionaire's go?" Ino squealed excitedly._

"_YOU'RE MISSING THE FREAKING POINT, INO!" Sakura raged on. "THIS IS A FULL FIVE MONTH CONTRACT THAT I CANNOT VY OUT OF! I ALREADY HAD MY SIGNATURE ON THOSE JOB FORMS SO... I'M STUCK!"_

_And that was where all the trouble had officially begun...But it didn't stop there, oh no. It only got worse...Starting on Sakura's first day on the job..._

_X-O-X-O-X-O-X_

_She stood there in the annoyingly tight-fitted uniform with its short blue skirt, and white blouse that barely covered her navel with a black mini vest over it. Every few seconds she got the urge to yank one part of the outfit down, only to have the other half ride up again. _

_She wanted to absolutely _murder _Ino. All day had been nothing but headaches, first from the rich, annoying customers that treated her like a household servant, to the stupid uniform, to the freaking staff manager that kept giving her all the hardest tasks._

_And the day wasn't even half-way over. Luckily she was on her break for now... She took a long sip of the sweetened herbal tea she'd been drinking and leaned back into the expensive couch._

_Club Paradisu was one of the grandest resorts anywhere, ranked number three in Japan and five internationally. It had everything anyone could possibly look for in a vacation getaway; a full five-star hotel with its own casino, ballroom and spa, a restaurant that only served the finest international cuisine made by top chefs from as far as the West, a giant water and amusement park, a forest area to fish, hike, explore, and camp in, and even a luscious hot spring that was open 24/7. _

_It truly lived up to its title as a 'Paradise on Earth'. Had Sakura not been so angered by her whole predicament, she might have actually stopped to ogle at the classy resort that only the wealthy could afford to vacation at regularly. _

_She had just gotten herself into a better state of mind when that insufferable manager burst through the doors, babbling at her. "Alright, time's up! Now get back to work Haruno-san!"_

"_What!" Sakura nearly spit out the mouthful of tea she'd been drinking. "I just got off five minutes ago! My breaks not over for another whole twenty minutes!" she protested._

"_Sorry, but some very faithful clients just came in, requesting the most diligent hostess we had, and well, everyone else is busy so, you'll have to do." The fat little man in the shiny blue manager's uniform explained hurriedly, dragging her out of the lounge by the arm._

"_B-But wait a minute—!" Sakura was led back into the main lobby and pulled over to the reception area, where a large group of men in fancy business attire stood by the front desk waiting to check in, the receptionist as well as a good number of her fellow hostesses busy swooning over their movie star good looks._

"_Sorry to keep you gentlemen waiting." Her annoying boss told them, bowing. "I've found a suitable hostess to serve you doing your stay, just as you've requested." He motioned towards Sakura, who grudgingly took a step forward to bow._

"_Hello, welcome to Club Paradisu, where your wildest fantasies are our pleasure. I am your hostess with the mostest, Sakura Haruno." Sakura gritted her teeth as she recited the stupid bit they made her say to all the customers she served. _

_The group of men seemed to survey her with intently, one of them, a tall man with slicked back silver hair and glowing, deep violet eyes, grinning broadly as he stepped forward._

"_Damn bitch, you're pretty fucking sexy, seriously. How 'bout you come up to my room later and I can make _your_ wildest fantasies _my_ fucking pleasure." He winked at her seductively with an arrogant smirk, and Sakura barely suppressed the instinct to haul off and punch his pretty face in, clenching and unclenching her fists, as he began to trail a hand up the side of her thigh. _

'Stupid. Fuggin'. _**Bastard**_. Piss. Off._' She gritted inwardly. Outwardly, the corners of her mouth twitched in an obviously forced smile._

"_Hidan, that's enough." Another man interrupted, much to Sakura's relief. She looked up into the face of her savior, only to see he had bright orange hair, breath-taking silver ringed eyes, and _lots_ of facial piercings. _

_Sakura wanted to shit herself. He was extremely intimidating, but a helluva sexy mother-fucker._

_The next words that escaped his mouth, however, made Sakura mentally add him to her steadily growing shit-list of people who'd pissed her off that she'd be spitting in the food of later. "There'll be plenty of time to screw around with the servant girl later, we need to check in and get our room numbers."_

_Sakura's jaw nearly touched the floor. 'Screw around with'? '__**Servant **__girl'? Who did this fucking bastard think he was! She was their hostess, unfortunately, but definitely __**not**__ their personal slave!_

_Just as she was about to open her mouth and spit out the nastiest insult she could think of, her idiotic boss rushed behind the desk to retrieve their card-keys, room numbers and so on. The orange-haired man went with him, as Sakura guessed he was the leader of the group, leaving the short pinkette to glare at his back. _

"_Bastard..." she mumbled under her breath. She couldn't believe she'd have to serve the likes of him, __**and **__that... horny silver-haired prick who'd already made it known he wanted to get in her pants._

_She'd have to be sure to avoid running into him alone as much as possible. Though she doubted the rest of his friends would really do much to stop him._

_She didn't have much time to contemplate her predicament, however, when a blond person suddenly appeared before her. Sakura stared as the person before her grinned. She blinked, her eyes nearly bulging from her head. This man...this man must be...Ino's long-lost brother! _

_Indeed, he had long blond hair that fell in his face and completely covered his left eye, not unlike the blond supermodel, but while Ino kept her hair in a high ponytail, this man wore his styled in a half- ponytail with hair falling down past his shoulders. He was quite attractive though, Sakura could admit (and appreciate), and his one visible eye was a misty grayish blue color. _

"_Hey un, so you're our hostess? You're cute, yeah." He smiled charmingly, and Sakura felt her cheeks warm up, especially when he suddenly lifted a hand to caress several strands of her short pink hair. _

'Maybe it won't be so bad after all_.' Sakura thought to herself. That is until she felt a hand on her inner thigh. _

_Without giving it another thought she cracked her knuckles in warning and was fully prepared to send the offending blond soaring, had someone else not beaten her to it. She watched in awe as a swift smack was delivered to the blond's head by a handsome redheaded man._

"_Deidara," a low, dangerously mellow voice spoke from behind her, and as Sakura stood gaping she felt herself being taken into someone's arms. "It seems to me as though a doll of such exquisite quality is much too delicate a treasure for the likes of a simpleton like you."_

_Sakura blinked, her head spinning in confusion. _Now _what was going on? "Yeah?" the blond fired back, recovering quickly. "Like she wants some red-headed devil like you? I saw her first, un."_

"_On the contrary," the redheaded man tightened his grip around her waist as he nuzzled into her silky strawberry-scented locks. "We both saw her at the same time, therefore she is free for any of us to claim, and_ I've_ chosen her as my new doll." He murmured drunkenly, his nose still buried deep in her sweet smelling hair._

_Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. What was wrong with these people? She wasn't an item to be fought over! Who did they think they were?_

"_Now wait just a minute," Sakura huffed, pushing the man's arms from around her waist. "I...I'm not up for grabs! I'm a person, you don't own me—none of you do." she narrowed her eyes as she looked straight into the handsome man's slightly shocked face, hands on her hips. _

_So what if she was overstepping her boundaries and risking getting fired from a job she so desperately needed—even if it meant getting molested constantly? She was fed up with these guys thinking they could waltz right in and pull her around like a ragdoll. _

"_So you and all your friends can just...just," she paused as she gazed deeper into his hypnotically mellow amber eyes. They were so deep and compelling. Sakura felt as if she could gaze into them and never get tired. The words 'leave me alone!' had died on her tongue and she now stood completely captivated by this man's handsome features. _

_He smirked smugly as he gauged her reaction and gently took one of her hands in his. "My name is Sasori Akasuna. And it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." he purred charmingly, placing his lips against her small hand in a seductively tender kiss, his eyes never leaving her face, which by now was several shades of red darker. Though whether from anger or embarrassment was hard to tell._

_Her face still burning in hot indignation, she quickly snatched her hand from his grasp as if she had been scalded, attempting to put on her best stone-face glare in light of her humiliation. "Don't touch me." she hissed, marching off with the last of her dignity._

_If Sakura thought the first day had been hell, she had no idea of the twists fate had in store..._

Sakura grimaced lightly to herself, inadvertently elbowing Naruto further away from her and shifting out of Deidara's light embrace. Meeting the first half of the Akatsuki members had been a traumatic experience, but things only got worse on the second day, when yet another group she was assigned to cater to arrived...

_Sakura was carefully balancing around a dozen tall glasses of alcohol on the silver serving tray while glancing over her shoulder anxiously every few seconds. _

_She had been on guard ever since waking up this morning, and had double checked to make sure her small yet cozy suite in the hostess' cabin was pad-locked shut before going to sleep the night before. They were all rather conniving, and she wouldn't put a _thing_ past __**any**__ of them. Even the most docile-looking and gentlemanly of them was just another closet pervert waiting for the chance to pounce in Sakura's mind._

_She dreaded each step that brought her closer to the booth where her new "_bosses_" were seated. She forced a cheerful smile as she walked up to the table and carefully sat down the tray of assorted alcoholic beverages. "Here you are, sirs." she forced herself to say politely, passing each man his drink. "Is there anything else you need?" she practically ground out._

_Her sharp gaze fell over the group of men at the table, daring them to try starting something with her again. _

_Hidan smirked lewdly, looking as if he were about to make another perverted comment, when an older-looking man with long, spiky raven hair that fell to his waist, piercing crimson eyes and the looks of a movie star sitting at the end of the booth nearest Sakura, spoke first. "Ah, and what have we here?" He eyed her darkly with a feral glint flashing in his eyes. "I don't recall having the pleasure of being graced by such a beauty before. If I may be so bold as to ask, sweet blossom, what might your name be?" he smiled seductively, giving her a look that would've made just about any other woman go weak at the knees._

_Sakura, however, was far from charmed, though she did secretly find the man to be extremely attractive, just like all the others. "It's Sakura, Sakura Haruno," she bit out, not at all seeming to share the warm sentiment of being happy to meet the charming dark-haired man._

_His smile only grew brighter and he appeared satisfied. "Well, my lovely Sakura, allow me to introduce myself. I am Madara Uchiha, of the industrious Akatsuki." he said, sounding quite proud._

_Sakura, completely flabbergasted, merely blinked to hold back her look of pure astonishment. Madara Uchiha of _the_ Akatsuki orginization? Though she wouldn't admit it out loud, she was rather impressed and awed. _

_She'd at least heard of the Akatsuki of course; everyone had. They were perhaps _the_ richest business corporation in Japan, and had a variety of businesses from hotels to restaurants to shopping malls, banks and entertainment centers around the world. _

_And Madara Uchiha was the founder and president, though Sakura wasn't aware of this, only that if he was in the Akatsuki, he must be immensely wealthy and powerful._"_Y-You're Madara Uchiha?" Sakura managed to get out._

_The dark-haired male smirked smugly, as if just hearing the petite pinkette utter his name was enough to boost his already large ego. "That's right, love. I could give you anything your heart desires." He whispered sensually. "As long as you agree to be mine...body, mind, and soul..." he slowly began to trail light patterns up the side of Sakura's exposed forearm, causing pleasurable tingles to shoot up her spine. _

_She shook the feeling off before she had time to think over it any further, putting on her professional, polite smile once again. "I see... Then, please know this, Uchiha-san. No matter how much money, fame, or good looks someone has, it doesn't equal the kind of happiness that comes from living life freely." And with that she turned sharply on her dark blue heels, leaving the table of billionaires to stare in awe after her. _

_Before she walked off, she paused to look over her shoulder and directly at the Uchiha billionaire. "Oh, and I'm sorry to inform you, but I'm not the type of girl to fall for men based simply off their material possessions." She smiled bitterly, her green eyes blazing with a fiery, untamed spirit. _

_Her short hair swished as she marched back into the kitchen area to help some of the other hostesses fill orders. The nerve of that guy! Did all rich men simply believe that they could seduce any female with their money and the wink of an eye? Too bad for them Sakura was much too smart to fall for their sweet words and underhanded tricks. _

_She had vowed never to fall in love at first sight again, ever since the day _he _broke her heart. Sakura was so lost in thought, she hadn't even noticed she had grabbed a plate and began to scrub it forcefully enough to leave a large crack, until the sound of someone calling her name broke her from her reverie._

"_Sakura...are you alright?" she looked up to see her co-worker, a tomboyish hostess by the name of TenTen, staring at her worriedly. TenTen was an athletic-looking girl with dark brown eyes and chocolate brown hair which she kept in two neat buns while she was working. She had been assigned to show Sakura the ropes of being a proper hostess and luckily, they had immediately hit it off. _

_Though Sakura couldn't help but wonder what a girl like TenTen was doing working in a place like this. That was, until TenTen explained she was paying off a debt to an old friend and had been working there for several months. _

_Still, she usually worked in the bar area waiting tables and occasionally mixing drinks, so she and Sakura wouldn't necessarily cross paths too often after her training was complete. Though the pinkette had a feeling—and hoped she was right—that TenTen would be a reliable friend and confidant long after everything was said and done._

"_Oh, TenTen," She smiled slightly—her first real smile all day. "I'm fine; this job is just taking a lot out of me." Sakura explained honestly._

_TenTen chuckled, picking up another plate to help Sakura by drying it off. "Yeah, some of the customers can be pretty hard to handle sometimes. But you know, I think those guys are only picking on you so much because they like you." She giggled with a wink._

"_What on earth would ever give you that idea?" Sakura rolled her mint green eyes gingerly with a bored tone. But before the brunette could answer, their manager came scuttling in, waving his chubby little arms around frantically._

"_Haruno-san, come quickly! There's an emergency in the lobby!"_

_Sakura turned to the man, setting down the sparkling clean dish on the rack and swiping some strands of stray hair from her face. "An...emergency?" she looked at him skeptically, raising a perfect pink eyebrow delicately. Once again, she barely had time to think as she was whisked away from the safe haven of the kitchen by her pudgy, pushy, and all around obnoxious manager. _

_Man, what the hell was up with this guy and personal boundaries? She swore as _soon_ as she finished this nightmare of a job she would give the short, stocky man a swift kick in the pants from behind and watch him roll all over the floor like a bouncy ball, wailing for help._

_He pushed her out into the lobby, and her eyes all but bulged out of the sockets at the sight before her. A large group of men stood waiting to be checked in. Most of them looking around curiously while a few stood to the side stoically with their hands jammed in their pockets. _

"_Haruno-san, I know you've already got your hands full, but...you're the only one fit for the job, and..." Sakura's eyes shot wide opened as she whirled on the small man that barely came to her kneecaps. And considering she was only around 5'4 that really didn't say much for his height._

_Oh, no he didn't! She could see where this was going. "Hojiko-san, I appreciate your faith, but I'm afraid there is no way I could possibly handle so many clients and—"_

"_But, I'm willing to double your pay! Plus, you'll be moved to the deluxe suite! Please accept Haruno-san, there is no one else I can depend on." the fat man pleaded. _

_Sakura carefully mulled it over for several long minutes, mentally groaning in annoyance. '_It's all for my career, it's all for my career." _She chanted mentally, trying to steel her resolve. _

"_Well I—"_

"_Wonderful, then you'll accept the offer!" the manager cheered, clasping his hands together excitedly. Sakura felt the vein above her temple twitch in agitation. If he was going to try and force her into this, the least he could do was hear her out._

_The man confidently strutted up to the group of men, Sakura at his side, trying to fight the scowl that wanted so desperately to break free. He greeted the men excitedly and Sakura bowed, doing her standard introduction. _

_After checking in they decided to dine at the hotel's restaurant, and Sakura gave them their menus and bowed before hurrying off to get their drinks. As she was walking toward the kitchen, she ran into something solid, and stumbled back, barely managing to catch herself before she fell. _

'Phew...that was a close one!' _she sighed in relief, before hearing a low grunt, causing her to gasp in horror. She saw that she'd run into a man who had also stumbled back and was currently rubbing his shoulder. Immediately bowing, she began to apologize deeply, hoping the man hadn't been injured, or worse, angry enough to complain to her manager._

_She was startled to feel a large hand land firmly on her shoulder. She jerked her head up so fast it was a miracle she didn't get whiplash, as her verdant eyes came to rest on the man's expensive-looking dress shirt, before slowly traveling up to stare straight into two deep ebony pools. "Sakura?" he whispered, clearly not believing it could truly be her._

_Sakura stared back just as shocked, and had it not been for the circumstances, she probably would've fainted at the amount of emotion he was showing. Never before had he said her name so softly, as if uttering it too loud would cause her to break._

_Slowly, her lips parted and she managed to choke out the name of the first boy she'd ever loved. The boy that broke her heart. "S-Sasuke," she gasped breathlessly. She swallowed shakily, taking in the sight of the man she'd once adored with all her heart. _

_His ebony hair was still styled in the same familiar spikes she remembered, though it seemed a bit longer, his bangs falling into his flawlessly pale face. His breath-taking ebony eyes were more slanted and his face had a more matured look. He still had the same tall, lean-muscled physique she remembered, with the exception of broader shoulders and a larger frame. _

_He was just as beautiful as she remembered him, and he was standing right in front of her after so many years. "What are you doing here?" he asked, though it sounded more like a demand, his eyes roving over her uniform outfit, causing her cheeks to darken noticeably. _

_Sakura flinched, fumbling with the hem of her super short skirt. "Uh, I...I'm working here...to help pay for med school." She explained sheepishly, bowing her head to study her three-inch high heels._

_He studied her once again, eyes lingering on her hunched form. "Hn." He gave his signature grunt. "So you're studying in medicine now? You always did have an interest for that sort of thing though." he commented offhandedly, unaware of how his casual words caused her heart to race._

'Stupid, stupid, stupid!_' Sakura inwardly berated herself._

_After the painful rejection and all the years of heartache, she had finally gotten to a point where she was able to completely push the name Sasuke Uchiha and everything it stood for to the back of her mind. _

_Any feelings she had for him were all in the past, or so she'd told herself the day she'd officially 'moved on'. Now, here he was, years later and just as gorgeous as ever, and she was nearly reduced to a quivering pile of mush...again! _

_All because he asked her a stupid freaking question and actually pretended like he gave a good goddamn about her life. She was so pathetic she wanted to knock herself senseless. _

_But he wasn't exactly acting like himself either. It was like he was the same Sasuke, and yet he wasn't. The old Sasuke would never engage her in casual conversation and never spoke more than a few words at once unless necessary. But the dark eyes, indifferent expression, and haughty presence was no doubt that of the youngest Uchiha._

_Luckily, or maybe not, before Sakura had the chance to further embarrass herself, an exuberant voice sounded from the group, directing both their attention to a blond man walking towards them. "Hey Sasuke, who're you talking—" the man froze as his gaze fell on Sakura, his deep ocean blue eyes going wide and a cute shade of pink dusting his oddly whiskered cheeks._

"_Naruto," Sasuke closed his eyes with a sigh, hands jammed in the pockets of his custom-tailored dress pants, "you're loud and obnoxious, as usual." He opened his eyes carefully when he heard no sharp retort from the usually energetic, feisty blond._

_He quirked an eyebrow, studying his friend's dumbstruck expression and Sakura's curious one as she fidgeted self-consciously under the blond's heated stare._

"_Y-You're..." Sasuke and Sakura both quirked their brows as they listened to the man try and choke out his words._

_"What are you babbling now, dobe?" Sasuke snapped in irritation._

"_Wow, you're so beautiful." He finished breathlessly. The Uchiha could only stare at his long-time friend in silenced shock, unable to believe what he had just heard Naruto Uzumaki say._

_Sakura was completely taken aback as well, but not because she knew the blond well enough to deem his actions out of character, but because he seemed and looked so completely spellbound and sincere that it blew her away._

_She watched him continue to stare her down like a love-struck puppy, the skin on her arms and legs prickling with nervous goose bumps. "Sakura," Sasuke's deep voice cut through her dazed stupor, "This is Naruto Uzumaki, he's a close business associate and, on a good day, friend and rival." _

"_N-Nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san," Sakura bowed politely._

"_So you're Sakura-chan..." Naruto blinked, seeming to half snap out of his dazed state. Sakura took a cautious step back at the serious, scrutinizing gaze he sent her. "You're so cute!" he cooed suddenly, almost causing Sakura to fall flat on her face. _

_He rushed forward, and it was at this time that they both seemed to notice the incredible height difference between Sakura's small form and Naruto's much larger nearly 6'1 frame. "And tiny!" he added gleefully. Sakura stared wide eyed as he grabbed both her wrists and jerked her forward so her face was planted right in the middle of his well-muscled chest._

_"You're perfect, Sakura-chan." He practically purred in her ear, nuzzling the side of her cheek with his nose. "One day, I'm going to make you my wife!" he suddenly declared and Sakura felt a spark of heat shoot through her body before she forcefully pushed the blond away._

_Naruto pouted childishly, clearly upset that she'd chosen to break contact from his loving embrace. Sasuke looked at Naruto, anger coursing through his body at the way he'd touched the pinkette and a smolderingly dark look in his eyes, though he didn't know why. _

_Sakura felt dizzy, wondering how an unexpected reunion with her ex-childhood crush had turned into something as chaotic as this. She had no idea how much more twisted things could become when a new voice sounded from the side. "Hey, what's got Naruto so excited? Usually it takes ramen to get him that wound up—whoa," Sakura turned to see a brunette man staring at her with wide eyes before a wolfish grin slowly overtook his features, showing off unusually pointed canine teeth. _

"_Hey there babe, you must be an angel, 'cause I swear I can see heaven in your eyes." He flirted shamelessly. Sakura could have laughed at the total clichéd irony of it all, but managed to hold it in. She surveyed him from a safe distance of several feet away, not taking chances after her previous encounters with men over the last two days._

_He, like most of the other males, looked to be about a good head taller than her, with tanned skin, messy brown hair, dark eyes, and red triangle tattoos on his face that looked like fangs and gave him a ruggedly sexy and feral look. Sakura could clearly see the outline of his well-toned body through the tight-fitted gray t-shirt he wore, showcasing his muscled biceps. _

_He grinned to her devilishly, running a hand through his messy brown hair and completely ignoring the other two males. "So, what's your name sweetie?"_

_Sakura, already used to the treatment, smiled wryly. "It's Sakura Haruno."_

"_Sakura, huh? Nice name for a gorgeous girl." He eyed her unabashedly. _

"_Uh..." Sakura rubbed her forearm unconsciously. She'd had a little too much attention from the male _species (yes, they might as well be a whole other species to her) _in general recently and she wasn't feeling particularly anxious to encounter _more_ flirty men to try and grope her. She figured she'd better find a way to leave while this new guy was still keeping his hands to himself._

"_Hey, back off Kiba." Naruto growled, glaring at the flirty brunette. "Can't you see you're scaring her?" he gestured toward Sakura. "Besides, _I_ saw her first." he added with a self-satisfied nod._

"_Oh yeah," Kiba raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest challengingly. "And so what does that mean? That you call dibs? Fat chance, man. It's a dog-eat-dog world, and when you see something you want worth taking..." he gave Sakura a love-drunk stare and she felt like she could've puked at the idea of yet _another _male tagging along after her like a wayward puppy. "You grab it while you can." _

_With this, he sneakily snaked an arm around Sakura's thin waist and quickly pulled the gaping girl to his side as she stood there, dumbstruck, as yet _another _male laid claim to her. What _was_ it with these guys? _

_Were they just trying to have a good time and playing around with her for their own amusement, or was it like some kind of sick competition where the first one to charm her into submission got some kind of bragging rights over the others? _

_Yeah, that _had_ to be it._

_Naruto glared fiercely at the offending man, his blue eyes flashing sharply and a low growl rise from his throat. "Kiba," he snarled. Sakura frowned, sensing a conflict brewing._

_And sure enough, seconds later the two grown men were at each other's throats—literally and figuratively—arguing and rolling around on the floor like a pair of little boys fighting over a toy, not two full-grown extremely powerful men fighting over her, which they_ viewed_ as a toy. _

_Normally, this completely absurd assumption would get them sent on a one-way trip to the hospital with severe injuries, courtesy of Sakura's infamous right-hook. But it just so happened that she desperately needed this job and she'd hate to have to explain to her sensei at the hospital how she'd blundered the job opportunity that'd took months of planning (even though it was __completel__y Ino's fault—Sakura's note to self: __**never **__trust a blond with important packaging) _and_ that she'd sent two of Japan's wealthiest, most wanted bachelors to the emergency room. _

_So while the two were busy trying to kill each other, Sakura somehow managed to slip away unseen—only stumbling in the dreaded heels once—and make it back to the employee's lounge station, for the most part, unharmed. She breathed heavily, her heart still racing as she slid down against the door to curl up in a sitting position._

_TenTen, who just so happened to be passing by, raising an eyebrow in curiosity at the flustered pinkette. "What happened to you? You look like you just ran a marathon."_

_Sakura wearily shook her head. "N-no. I... just escaped a bunch of wild animals..." she puffed. "Compared to that, running __two __marathons would be easy."_

_TenTen chuckled lightly, giving the girl a sympathetic look. "That bad, huh? But look on the bright side, you get to be around all those cute guys. I saw the ones that just came in. I have to say Sakura, you're a lucky girl." She patted the girl's shoulder lightly as she helped her to her feet. "Though I guess they do seem kinda like they'd be a handful." She shrugged as if brushing it aside. "Hey, how about I get us some drinks and we can talk?" the brunette suggested, walking over to the nearby vending machine and getting them both a can of hot herbal tea._

_Drinks! She'd kept them waiting on their drinks for fifteen whole minutes! Though it wasn't exactly all _her_ fault... She hurriedly fixed the drinks and placed them on the serving tray before running out, leaving TenTen to stare curiously after the small pinkette, cans of tea still in hand._

_When Sakura made it back to the booth, she apologized profusely about the delay, noticing that all but one person seemed to be there, and carefully placing the drinks on the table. "I...I'm so sorry for the wait, now, may I please take your orders?" she smiled politely, trying to block out the intense stare of the dark-haired man near the end of the booth._

_As she began to take orders, a strong pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist in a bone-crushingly tight embrace, and she felt a jovial voice shouting right into her ear. "Sakura! Oh, my lovely flower, I've found you at last!"_

"_W-wha!" the pinkette managed to squeak, trying to turn her head so as to see who was currently holding her. _

_But this proved futile as the person was well over a foot and a half—maybe two feet—taller than her small form. Then, the man, for it was obvious the person was male from the hard chest she was pressed against, turned her around, and her eyes practically bugged out of their sockets._

"_U-Uchiha-san?" she asked incredulously, not believing that it was he that was holding her so intimately. She'd figured that after she had lashed out at him the day before, he would come to despise her, _or_ leave her alone at the very least. But it now appeared neither had happened._

"_Mm..." he purred sensuously as he buried his face into her bubble gum pink hair. "You smell so luscious, I could eat you alive~" He whispered as if they were alone, and _not _in a room full of people who were staring in astonishment as the handsome billionaire hugged the adorable pinkette hostess._

_Sakura cringed at this statement, forcefully pushing the man away, her face colored a bright red. _

_Sakura gave the grinning male a resentful glare, opening her mouth to scold him and remind him of the necessity of respecting personal bounds, when a certain young Uchiha spoke first. "Uncle? What are you doing here? And how do you know Sakura?" Uchiha Sasuke's voice was low and nearly void of all emotions, except the subtly sharp, demanding undertone. His eyes were blazing with a strong surge of what some might consider anger or irritation. _

_He had been dragged to this ludicrous resort by the blond-haired moron he called his friend and their many other business cohorts (also on the line of 'friends' or 'acquaintances'), but he hadn't expected to see his uncle Madara there. And now he was wondering just what kind of connection he held to the petite rose-haired maiden, and why seeing him cling to her so intimately made his blood boil..._

_Madara blinked down at his nephew as if seeing him for the first time, "Hm, Sasuke? I never expected to see _you_ at a vacation resort like this..."_

"_The real question is," the younger Uchiha bit out, "what are _you_ doing here uncle? And how do you know Sakura?" Sasuke felt his patience steadily draining out. He hated repeating himself, and he wasn't particularly fond of his uncle._

_He tolerated him for the most part, but for a grown man and the president of his own company no less, he thought Madara was more like a carefree, hormone-crazed teenager rather than a mature, intelligent and respectable businessman. _

_Though his business tactics were known for being undeniably ingenious, not to mention ruthless. It was nothing for him to take over a smaller business unfortunate enough to cross his path, and besides the usual one-night stands he had quite frequently, he was never really one for serious relationships. This was mostly why Itachi and himself were next in line to head the family company after their father._

_Madara regarded his nephew with a devilish smirk, one arm still draped over Sakura's shoulders in a firm hold, much to the cherry blossom's discomfort. She could practically feel the other billionaires boring holes through her as they glared at the offending Uchiha and gave her lusting looks all at once._

_"Well, since the Akatsuki's supposed to be meeting with the club's owner later this week, I decided why not stay and make a vacation out of it? This certainly _seemed_ like the perfect place, and as it turned out, I met this delectable goddess as a result." His smirk never faded as he looked down at the top of the girl's pink-rooted head, and she returned his stare nervously, fiddling with the hem of her short skirt and biting her lip in an attempt to hide her anxiety._

_As Madara looked into the vivid jade pools he couldn't believe how adorable the girl was, not to mention how totally naive she seemed to be. It was clear she'd been impressed by his name, and yet she hadn't stuck to him like a fan girl, giggling and drooling over him or nosing around for a way to get a chance at his fortune._

_She was so down-to-earth, so passionate and full of life. She'd even _rejected _him! Madara knew right then and there that he had to have the adorable pinkette to himself, no matter what the cost. And he was determined not to let _anyone_ get in his way. Including his own blood._

_But Sasuke was a naturally stubborn boy; if he was, as Madara suspected, interested in the innocent cherry blossom, he wouldn't be willing to give her up without a fight. Which was perfectly fine with him. He always enjoyed a challenge._

_"Aren't you a little old to be preying on young women and going around acting like an overgrown teenager?" Sasuke asked, his eyes narrowed bitterly in his uncle's direction._

_"Aren't you a little old to be acting like a jealous child?" Madara replied, sending the aggravated younger Uchiha a smug smirk. _

_Sasuke felt the urge to strangle his uncle right then and there. He was taunting him now, the damn bastard. Sakura struggled futilely to get away from the older male, feeling the tension in the air rising. _

_The other billionaires had all stopped their conversations to watch the drama unfolding. Tch, what a bunch of nosy male drama-whores... Not even one of them was trying to left a damn finger to help her! She grit her teeth in agravation, managing to elbow the male square in the stomach, causing him to release her in shock. It hadn't hurt in the slightest, but he hadn't expected it._

_Sakura held her probably bruised elbow and wondered what kind of iron this guy pumped. It felt like she'd just elbowed a frickin' brick wall! She pouted as she rubbed her throbbing elbow, Madara still staring at her in obvious surprise. _

_None of the other males seemed to be able to believe it either; she had just assaulted one of the most famous billionaires in the country, as if she didn't even know who he was. _

_Sakura glared up at the stunned Uchiha, about to speak, when suddenly, a blond blur came charging into the dining hall from around the corner. "Sakura-chan!" she blinked, and before she knew it she was wrapped up in a near suffocating hug._

_She vaguely remembered him as being one of the blonds from earlier, "Naruto Uzumaki". _

_"Ah! U-Uzumaki-san...I c-can't breathe..." she choked. _

_"Eh?" he gradually loosened his hold on the girl, though he refused to let her go completely. "Sakura-chan, I've been looking all over for you!" he exclaimed, sounding frantic. He then cast a glare at the older Uchiha, who by this time had recovered and was glaring at his nephew's blond friend with obvious disdain. "Sasuke-teme, what's your uncle doing here? And why was he touching Sakura-chan?" Naruto demanded, his tone suddenly low. _

_He had come around the corner just in time to see Madara with an arm slung across _his_ Sakura's shoulders, and standing _way too close_ for his liking. And even though he was too far away to tell exactly what was going on, he knew in an instant that he didn't like it._

_It was bad enough dog-breath had to go and hit on the girl he decided would become _his_ wife, but there was no way in _hell_ he was going to lose her to some bastard Uchiha. _

_Sakura shoved away from the blond forcefully, and he blinked as he noticed her holding her arms out in a defensive posture. "Sakura-chan?" he called to her in confusion._

_The girl simply fixed the staring group of men with a firm glare. "Look, I don't know what's wrong with all of you, or if you've all got some kind of mental issues you need worked out in therapy. But I'm just here to do a job for the summer so I can pay my way through med school and maybe have some extra pocket money left over on the side. I'm not fabulously wealthy or some kind of glamorous supermodel. In fact, I've never even _heard_ of most of you before today. So just...please, I'm asking you this nicely; Leave. Me. ALONE!" _

_Sakura raised her voice an octave or two higher, clamping her hands over her mouth in embarrassment when she realized she'd accidentally screeched a little too loudly, since some guests at the other tables were staring. _

_She scowled, a bright crimson blush staining her cheeks as she ran back into the employee's lounge, leaving the group of stunned businessmen to stare at her retreating form. _

_She sucked in several deep breaths of air, sinking onto the floor and wrapping her arms around her knees, her heart pouding eratically. How could she say that? In front of all those people? What would happen now? She'd get fired, her reputaton would be ruined, and Tsunade would chew her out about getting herself into such a situation (even though it was really Ino's fault), and then not telling her about it._

_TenTen, who had just walked in a few moments earlier, looked over to see the pinkette huddled against the wall and looking as though she were on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She frowned, eying the petite girl sympathetically before standing up and walking over to her. "Rough time huh?"_

_"It was _terrible_," Sakura sulked, "I can't believe I _yelled_ in their faces...and in front of all those people." She held her head in both hands and tried to calm the wave of worry surfacing in the pit of her stomach to no avail._

_TenTen once again offered her a can of tea and Sakura accepted it gratefully, as she leaned back into a squishy lounge chair, thankful for the reprieve. It was only her second day on the job, and she was flat-out exhausted. Who ever thought being a club hostess could be so strenuous?_

_But then it did serve to reason when the guests were all extremely rich, powerful business clientele. Sakura had just began to gulp down the soothingly hot liquid when the small device around her wrist began flashing red, signaling she was being summoned by one of her many clients. She gave the gadget a bitter look before glancing at the can of tea in her hands wistfully and rising with a weary sigh. _

_TenTen, understanding at least in part her ordeal, gave her a sympathetic look, though it was soon replaced by a sly grin. She had noticed the way the powerful business men had reacted to the petite pink-haired hostess, and even the notoriously stoic and reserved owners seemed to have taken a slight interest in the oblivious girl. _

_She just hoped Sakura could handle all the attention, though she had no doubt about that. The brunette could already tell that Sakura was a girl capable of taking care of herself. _

_She was more curious on _who_ the cherry blossom would choose in the end, for with so many handsome, wealthy bachelors all vying for her heart, she was bound to fall for one of them eventually. Though, _who _would be interesting to see, indeed..._

_"Sakura, I know this may sound like total shizz, okay? Especially under the circumstances...but believe me, they're _not_ going to get you fired." she told the pinkette matter-of-factly._

_"How can you be so sure?" Sakura sniffed, not looking too convinced._

_"Just call it a gut feeling," the brunette shrugged. "But I also happen to be close friends with Neji Hyuga, one of the guys who just came in today. He's the one I owe a favor to."_

_"W-What? _He's_ out there too?" Sakura gaped, remembering what TenTen had told her about this friend who had helped her out when her family had almost lost their house. She had somehow just assumed this person to be a female..._

_"Yep," TenTen confirmed, holding up her shiny black phone, "His cousin just called me about a half hour ago and told me he was coming. Neji may be a little rough around the edges, and he's definitely a total ass sometimes, but he can also be a gentleman when he wants to be. He's really a nice guy once you get to know him a little, and even he's too proud to admit it, I bet he'd be impressed by your attitude since most women either fall for his looks or money and you definitely don't seem like that type of person. I'm sure someone like you would be his type of girl." she said, winking. Sakura blushed immensely at her words._

_"I don't know about that, but...you may be right about the rest. I'll just keep trying my best and go from there. Thanks TenTen, I probably needed that." She rose, a little wobbily at first, smoothing out her skirt and rubbing her slightly red nose again. "Now, I should probably get back out there before those pricks get me fired for not having their orders ready." _

_"Don't worry about it," the brunette grinned, waving a hand dismissively, "I saw you put the pad down on the counter earlier, so I had Yuzuki and Umi take care of it. They've already been served."_

_The pinkette stared up at the brunette in wonder, before a slow, dazzling smile spread across her face. "Thank you, I really owe you one." TenTen merely brushed it off with a light chuckle._

_"Don't mention it. Why don't you just go and enjoy yourself for a little while; I'm officially relieving you of duty for the night, just let me handle the rest." the brown-haired girl winked._

_Sakura felt her heart swelling with gratitude. TenTen was so reliable and kind, soo much different than that _pig_ she had to live with... She closed her eyes as she headed to the elevator that led up to the suites where all the hostess' stayed, feeling tired but hopeful. "I really owe you one for this," she whispered to herself._

_Tomorrow was another day, another start. _Hopefully_, a better one than this had been, full of stress and unimaginable amounts of chaos. She didn't notice the person heading towards her until after she'd bumped into a hard chest, her eyes snapping open and a flush of embarrassment on her face._

_She opened her mouth to apologize, only to see the person she'd ran into. __"S-Sasuke?" she started, her mouth open in obvious surprise._

_"Sakura...I just wanted to make sure you were alright. My uncle's behavior is...absolutely appaling, but I _assure_ you it won't happen again." She tilted her head to the side in confusion as she noticed the way his fists clenched at his sides and his jaw tightened slightly. _

_This was a side of Sasuke she wasn't used to. The intense, broodiness she was familiar with, yes; but _not_ this rash, jealous-acting Sasuke who acted... almost possessive towards her. _

_Never before had she seen him lose his composure to this extent, where his emotions slipped beyond the mask of indifference he always seemed to wear in her presence. It was a little strange to say the least, but it also made her curious. What else was he hiding underneath the surface?_

_"Um, it's alright, I guess...to be honest, even though it's only my second day working here, I think I might be getting used to it." she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly as Sasuke raised a perfect eyebrow in her direction, silently referring to her earlier outbursts. "Well, sorta..." the pinkette laughed nervously._

_"But anyway, thanks for asking Sasuke, but I'm really fine. I'm just going to go get some rest. So I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she nodded politely at the raven-haired male. The blank stare was strangely comforting in the familiarness of it all; finally, something she could count on! At least she knew _he_ wouldn't try to molest, mouth-rape, or hit on her._

_Sasuke watched her intently as she began to walk away. Ever since seeing him again, she had called him by his first name only. There was no sign of the familiar honorific of '_kun_' she had used to address him without throughout the years they'd been in school together._

_It struck a chord deep in his icy heart. What was the emotion he was feeling...? Frustration, self-contempt, maybe even...longing. For some reason, he wanted to hear her call him "Sasuke-kun" again; no, he needed to hear it. He needed to know that she hadn't completely lost hope in him._

_Before she could take two steps, she felt a hand grip her wrist in a firm hold, and looked back in confusion to see none other than Sasuke Uchiha, staring her down with a smoldering look so intense, it caused her heart to beat against her ribcage. She suddenly felt vulnerable and self-conscious, the look in his eyes was hazy, and the thought of getting away didn't seem so likely now._

_"S-Sasuke..." she started hesitantly. "W-What are you-"_

_And then Sasuke Uchiha did something Sakura _never_ would've guessed he'd do in three lifetimes._

_He took both her hips in his hands, pulled her against his chest, and captured her mouth in a heated kiss. Sakura, to say the least, was absolutely stunned. Sasuke didn't seem to mind; he groaned into the kiss, intoxicated by her flavor. _

_He couldn't believe he'd missed out on this for so long. His hands squeezed tighter, slowly sliding under her short skirt to caress her soft thighs, causing the pinkette to gasp. _

_Sasuke took the opportunity to enter her mouth and immediately began ravaging every corner his tongue could reach, roughly battling with her tongue in a dominating match, Sakura still being too shocked to put up much of a resistance. _

_Sasuke Uchiha was kissing her. _

The _Sasuke Uchiha was freaking mouth-raping her! She couldn't bring herself to believe it. Years ago she would've done nearly anything to be in the position she was right now. But now...it just felt so...awkward. _

_No matter how amazing a kisser he was, or how his touch made her knees wobble, in the back of her mind, there was still a part of her who was reluctant to let it go any further._

_Somehow, she felt as though what she was experiencing was the other-worldly bliss of a childhood fantasy come true, not true feelings of affection or passion. She was simply getting 'swept up in the moment' as her mentor liked to say._

_And she could almost guarantee that Sasuke's sudden showing of interest had more to do with the few bottles of champagne she had served them earlier and her scandalously revealing 'uniform' than him actually wanting _her_. _

_Yeah, he'd just had a little too much to drink and now he was feeling...in need of female companionship. _

_With this thought in mind, Sakura mustered up all her willpower and managed to push him away. Sasuke stared at her, clearly not able to comprehend the idea of Sakura pushing_ him_ away, when she had once adored and worshipped him like a god._

_But his confusion turned to question when he looked into her beautiful green eyes to see them full of wetness threatening to spill over. "Sakura..." he breathed softly, reaching out to her, only for her to take a wide step back, shaking her head._

"_S-Sasuke, you have to listen to me. It's not what you think...you don't r-really...like me," she swallowed, her voice sounding close to cracking. "You're just feeling a little dizzy right now from the alcohol. You...you could never like me, not when you have so many other beautiful women to choose from. Remember what you told me in high school? You said the chances of us ever being together were less than one in a million, and that it was better if I just forgot about you. W-Well I did, and now you're back and I..." she gasped, tears rolling freely down her cheeks now. "I can't... do this."_

_She shook her head, turning away from him. Sasuke attempted to catch her once again, this time grabbing her wrist before she managed to flee. He paused as he prepared to speak, but one look at her green eyes stole the air from his lungs. _

_She looked so...delicate. So beautiful and vulnerable and mystifying all at once. The pure emotion in her eyes was enough to cause him to release her, and without another word, she ran away as fast as her legs could carry her. Sasuke stared after her, wondering exactly what had just happened._

_One minute they were talking and the next he couldn't stop himself from devouring her. But he also couldn't help that he was frustrated—not after the realization he'd just made. Somehow, seeing Sakura around other men, being flirted with and coddled, caused something inside of him to awaken. _

_Some deeply buried presence of emotions he'd never thought he'd experience, least of all for Sakura. Possessiveness, lust, longing, jealousy...they were thoughts that had never even crossed his mind before. Until now. _

"_You're wrong Sakura." He mumbled to himself. _

_She thought he had kissed her because he was intoxicated, but this was not the case. Yes, the alcohol had caused him to be slightly more... _loose_ than usual, but that didn't mean he hadn't _wanted_ to kiss her anyway. _

_The alcohol was just a way to reassure himself to go through with it. As funny as it was that the great and powerful Uchiha Sasuke could need any sort of reassurance in courting a female._

_Now, after years of pushing her away, he realized what he'd felt in his heart for so long. That he loved Sakura; that even when he shunned and mocked her, she supported him and always remained by his side. That not even his own family accepted him the way she did or made him feel things like she could. _

_Not only that, but she was so..._addictive_. The two bright pools of emerald that were her eyes were always so expressive, it never ceased to amaze him how simple she was to read; everything you needed to know was all written right there, so different from him._

_And her infamous vibrant pink hair, now cut short and hanging a few inches above her chin, glowed with a healthy sheen, and only served to enhance her brilliant eyes and flawless milky white complexion._

_When had hearing her say his name caused shudders of bliss to shoot up his spine, and how long had her skin glowed so vibrantly? Was it always that soft to the touch? Had she always smelled so...delicious and edible? And why was seeing her again after all these years affecting him like this? What was wrong with his emotions?_

_It was odd how she'd always been the one to cling to him, and now he was the one seeking her attention, only to be met with doubt and rejection. Karma sure had a funny way of slapping you in the face._

'Heh_.' He smirked bitterly to himself. So _this _is what it felt like. This must've been how she felt every time he pushed her away or called her weak and useless. To endure such pain she must truly have been stronger than he'd given her credit for all this time. But it also made him see that she must still be hurting, and it was all because of him._

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><p><em>Sakura collapsed onto her squishy mattress, in the safety of her little suite, burying her face deep into a pillow. She sniffled, knowing she must look completely pathetic at the moment, with her uniform wrinkled, her hair messy, and her eyes puffy and swollen red. It had been so long since she'd cried like this, she'd forgotten what it really felt like. <em>

_She didn't allow herself such petty luxuries after he'd broken her heart; she'd decided that wallowing in self pity was something for the mentally weak; she thought it was something she'd given up._

_For her to be crying over him yet again was just pathetic, and she hated herself for it. The wristband she wore in order for her client's to contact her flashed on her nightstand, but she didn't care._

_She turned over on her other side, facing the wall, and slowly closed her eyes in a feeble attempt to get some rest, though she knew that it was next to impossible the way her mind was racing. _

_Maybe she'd just step out and get some fresh air instead. She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the comfortable bed, standing clumsily at first, before she was able to regain the feeling in her sore legs and made her way over to the beautiful balcony with the wonderful champagne garden view._

_She had to admit, while the clientel list left much to be desired, the resort truly _was_ beautiful, and even the rooms for employees were of the finest quality. She stood with her body leaning into the decorative railing and staring out over the scenery, admiring the fine exotic plants and nearly hundred foot fountain standing proudly out in the middle of the man-made lake just beyond the garden's walls._

_Ino would absolutely swoon if she saw this place; she'd probably go gaga over all the exotic plants and flowers, and chatter on about how 'romantic and luscious' it would be to vacation here with the man of your dreams._

_Her friend was always into those kind of mushy, cliched scenarios, while Sakura preferred to dwell on the plain of reality as much as possible. Romantic getaways were nice, but what was the use fantasizing when you knew fairytales weren't always full of happy endings?_

_Little did she know that meanwhile, just below in the garden, a certain blond was busy looking for her, after encountering a rather grumpy Uchiha in the front lobby on his way back upstairs. _

_He'd been especially worried after Sakura had frantically run off, and then his best friend had disappeared shortly after, but he only became that much more desperate to see the pinkette when he found his friend standing in the front hall and staring off into space as though he'd just been slapped, mumbling something to himself about "needing to prove her wrong"._

_Now, after managing to charm the approximate location of the employee's quarters from the receptionist at the front desk, he stood surveying the upper floors for any sign of the woman he'd come to be infatuated by in such a short amount of time, any small flash of pink._

_It'd be so much easier if that stupid teme hadn't stolen the paper with her room number on it from him. All he could remember was that it was on one of the first five floors and that the terrace overlooked the gardens. So he was hoping that by, some miracle, he would look up and be able to spot his new infatuation enjoying the late evening breeze. _

_And as it was, luck had decided to favor him for the moment. He looked up, scratching at his scalp in frustration, and there she was, staring out over the balcony almost wistfully. From where she was he could see her pink hair swishing in the late evening breeze, and her pale skin was illuminated by the crescent moon, making her positively glow. She wasn't that high up, maybe two stories._

_He couldn't get over how beautiful she looked with a starry sky as her backdrop. He was almost afraid to call out to her, not wanting to break the pleasant fantasy of the moment. But he also wanted her to notice him, and so he dared to shatter the tranquility with a single breath, "Sakura-chan! Hey, down here!" he called up to her, cupping his hands around his mouth._

_Sakura gasped, clearly startled, not expecting to hear someone calling her name. Her eyes searched for the source, and as she looked down, she saw a familiar blond man waving up at her, his ear to ear grin visible even in the moonlight. __She remembered him as one of the men that had arrived earlier in the day, seemingly one of the nicer ones, who had called her 'perfect'._

_Naruto Uzumaki._

_She blinked down at him warily, not really sure what to make of his sudden appearance. What was he doing down there by himself so late? Was he simply exploring the gardens, or had he been deliberately trying to find her, perhaps? "N-Naruto-san?" she voiced out her surprise in a breathful gasp. "What are you..."_

_"I got worried after you left, and I wanted to make sure the teme didn't upset you even more since I saw him standing in the lobby and figured he'd talked to you, so I came to make sure you were ok." he grinned up at her like a moron, and Sakura felt her heart race a little at his concern._

_Despite his wealth and status, he seemed genuinely sweet. Maybe if things were different and they'd met under normal circumstances, they would have been good friends by now._

_"Um, well thank you," she replied nervously, "But I'm fine, so, if I could just rest now, I'll be ok tomorrow." she tried to sound confident, only to have her voice come out hoarser than intended. Most likely due to all the quiet sobbing. Damn her weakness. Below her, Naruto tilted his head, a skeptical frown making him look far more serious than normal._

_"Sakura, you're hiding something, aren't you?" he asked seriously, shocking the pinkette into dropping her half-hearted attempt at appearing ok. _

_"W-What do you mean?" she frowned into the darkness._

_"I'm coming up there," he said suddenly, and it took a few minutes of blankly staring as Naruto Uzumaki began to scale the side of the building as easily as if he were a high school delinquent climbing over a chain fence, expensive suit and all, to really comprehend what he'd said. _

_"Wait, what?" she gasped, watching wide-eyed as the man continued to climb the side of the vine-covered wall, using small cracks for gripping. When he was close enough to her balcony, he grabbed on to the bars with one hand, pulling his legs further up until they were almost up near his head. He vaulted on to the balcony as gracefully as a circus preformer without warning, giving Sakura a devilish grin before slightly brushing off his jacket. _

_"Um, U-Uzumaki-sa," she stuttered, finally able to speak._

_"Naruto," he interrupted. "I'm too young to be an 'Uzumaki-san'. And besides, all my friends just call me 'Naruto' anyway." Sakura found herself fighting a blush off for what seemed the hundreth time that night. She didn't know whether it was the slightly intimate atmosphere or the fact that one of her bosses wanted her to refer to him on a first-name basis, but she still felt suddenly and inexplicably shy._

_"Uh, ok..." she whispered, glancing up to see his huge smile widen even more (if that was possible), before quickly averting her gaze again, a cute blush dusting her cheeks. And that was how she'd spent the night star-gazing with charming blond billionare Naruto Uzumaki, and how he in turn learned that he had already fallen hopelessly for one very clueless Sakura Haruno._

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><p>Sakura then remembered how she had ended up in this precarious position... After <em>all<em> of them seemingly becoming infatuated with her, they had begun some kind of ludicrous competition of sorts, each one of them wanting her all to themselves. And so had the ceaseless tug-o-war begun.

As it was, they had booked a weekend in the cabin lodging area of the resort, set up like a real camping experience, but with all the perks of modern technology. This would have been just fine, and Sakura would have been more than happy for the reprieve, had they not decided to drag _her_ into it.

They had requested to her manager she be allowed to come along to serve them, instead of the usual hostesses that were in charge of the area, and of course, the money-loving, grubby-handed midget of a man had agreed, after they'd paid him extra to allow her to be their one and only live in maid for the 'camping trip'.

As if she didn't already see enough of them on a daily basis...

And if _that_ wasn't bad enough, the problem of where they would all sleep came up when it was discovered that there were exactly enough rooms and beds for everyone..._except_ Sakura.

Of course this shouldn't have been a problem, since she had wisely decided to bring a roll-out futon she'd borrowed from the housekeeping staff before they'd left the main hotel.

But her self-proclaimed knights in shining armor refused to let her be the only one without a 'proper bed', and so another arguement about who would be allowed the chivalrous duty of trading places with Sakura started. In the end, it was their pride that had ended them all where they were now.

None of them wanting one of their rivals to be the one to give up their bed to the lovely pinkette and, thus, win her favor, had all opted to have more futons sent from the hotel so that they could all sleep on the floor instead.

The absolute absurdity of this idea was beyond belief to Sakura. If they were going to do all that, why not just get another bed sent over instead?

But anyhow, there they were now, spread across the cabin's spacious den like children having a sleepover at overnight camp. Though Sakura would rather be dragged around by Ino on a _thousand_ deadly shopping sprees, then be in the position she was in now.

Not only had all thoughts of personal boundries been completely thrown to the wayside, it was more like sleeping in one giant, awkward mass of bodies then anything else. With everyone haphazardly spread across the floor, she felt they might as well been sleeping on the actual ground.

And then there was the constant groping...Oh _god_ the damned groping! No sooner could she close an eye than an anonymous hand or limb snake across her face, neck, waist, or chest and the owner give a firm squeeze, or simply glide their hands across whatever skin was in reach.

Twice she had been jolted from a light sleep with someone's hand halfway under her shirt and up her bare stomach, or in the waistband of her sleeping shorts.

And now, after hours of laying restlessly amid a mass of gorgeous men almost any woman would kill to even be near let alone sleep with, Sakura found herself facing a serious crisis: Her bladder was full, and there was no way she could hold it 'til morning.

The bathroom was all the way across the hall, if she could maneveur her way around the bodies sprawled everywhere. But the last time she had tried to go, someone had reached out and grabbed her ankle, whether out of reflex or intentionally she didn't know; all she knew was that it had resulted in her lying face to chest with Hidan's rippling, rock hard abs, and that, since he slept shirtless, and had a very tight grip, it had been quite..._uncomfortable_ for her, to say the least. She was only thankful he hadn't woken up during the ordeal, otherwise she was sure he'd never let her live it down.

Then, when she'd finally made it away from the dirty-mouthed billionaire and hobbled as lightly as possible into the bathroom, she'd flipped on the switch and fumbled around for toilet paper, looking under the sink when she didn't see any lying around, only to find what could only be described as the bane of every self-respecting woman's existence.

Porno magazines. _Stacks of them_. All piled neatly under the sink and organized according to month, year, etc; waiting for whoever to just come along and read to their heart's content. Sakura had been stunned speechless to say the least, unable to even utter a sound of shock at the filthy things cluttering the bottom cabinet.

Slamming them shut with a fierce heat rising in her chest, she ripped open a jar with such ferocity, it almost came out completely. Of course she didn't expect to find toilet paper there, but she wanted to know what other perverse things could possibly be hiding in there.

If she was expecting to be mortified and further angered, her next discovery didn't disappoint. The drawer she'd opened was loaded to the brim with little square packets bearing the resort's logo, the tell-tale indent of a circular object pressed against the white paper causing her to tremble with rage and embarrassment now.

Her eyes slowly rolled down, causing a demonic glint to take over her face; at the top of the pile was a neat with piece of paper that read : _For your pleasure, Club Paradisu provides all your needs and more._

She slammed that drawer shut and opened up the medicine cabinet in a final attempt to keep from strangling something, only to discover a jar of what looked like jelly with a label that simply read _'lubricant_', and a set of handcuffs.

She didn't know what the jar of lubricant could possibly be for, nor would her innocent mind allow her to ponder over the purpose of the handcuffs, but she could feel the heat rising to her ears all the same; that was it. She slammed the cabinet shut so hard the mirror rattled,stalking out of the bathroom and down the hall. That was the last time she ever tried to look anywhere in this place.

What the hell kind of perverted bastard ran this club anyway? She vowed from then on that if she had to go to the bathroom, going in the woods would be a safer bet than trying to go in the cabin.

And so, at nearly twelve o' clock midnight, the petite pink-haired woman had managed to sneak out after replacing her person with a pillow to sway the clingy blonds to remain sleeping, and quietly tiptoed out, armed with a flashlight and some toilet paper, an oversized jacket belonging to Naruto covering her smaller frame. She turned the battery-powered flashlight on and watched it penetrate through the spooky shadows of the dark forest, glancing around carefully for anything too suspicious as he tried not to trip over stray rocks or tree roots.

If she remembered right there should be a small rest-stop along one of the first trails hikers encountered, hopefully with working water and indoor plumbing. As she picked her way through overgrown shrubs, wondering if maybe she'd taken a wrong turn to end up somewhere so obviously far off the beaten path, an owl hooted from a nearby tree and a rustling sound came from the bushes. She jumped a little, but then managed to convince herself it was merely some nocturnal creature foragng fo a late snack.

Nothing dangerous...there was nothing too dangerous or carnivorous that ate lost pink-haired girls...right?

That was until a loud thud from behind her scared her so much she simultaneously screamed and dropped her flashlight, effectively breaking it and plunging her into darkness. Okay, so maybe she was a little scared now...not that she didn't have a _reason_ to be. "O-Okay, who's there?" she squeaked nervously, her panicked green eyes scanning the darkness in vain. "D-Deidara...is that you? ...Kiba, this isn't funny! ...Guys?"

"Ah, Sakura, I've been waiting for you..." She instantly screamed at the unfamiliar voice that was frighteningly close to her ear. "Now, now, child...fear not; I mean you no harm."

Sakura blindly began to stumble backwards in the dark, trying to escape the croaky old voice. "W-where are you? What do you want?" the pinkette demanded to know. A dim light flickered on, and the face of the voice's owner was made visible for the first time. Sakura stood rooted in place, wide eyed and gaping.

There stood an old woman in a dark cloak, her sharp stone gray eyes twinkling mysteriously and her high cheekbones made to look even sharper by her many aging lines. She had the aura of someone wise and powerful, despite her withered form. Something about her made Sakura feel both frightened and awed at once. That and the fact that the light was coming from her fingertip...which was glowing an icy blue like water underneath a lake.

"I...am a forseerer of prophecies and a guardian of fate, though you may simply call me Junko." the woman told her. "I wanted to bestow upon you a gift, for I've been watching you for quite a while child, and it's been countless ages since I've seen _such_ a strong spirit."

Sakura continued to stare blankly, convinced she must have somehow passed out and was now knocked out in the forest, dreaming of the strange encounter. Either that or this woman was obviously deranged. Junko studied the young woman as if seeing past her blank stare and reading into her innermost thoughts. "You doubt me, child? Perhaps I should show you further, as a testiment of my true abilities."

And with that, the whole forest area was enveloped in a flash of light, and before she knew it, Sakura was standing in the middle of a magnificent ballroom, fully clothed in a stunning emerald gown with diamonds encrusted along the hemming. "W-What...!" she gasped in shook, twirling around once for good measure. She blinked, feeling the air on her smooth legs. She back at the woman, who was standing beside her with a contented look on her face.

"Wh-what is this?"

"Just watch and see child." she motioned to the grand spiraling staircase on one side of the ballroom, and she watched as a couple slowly made their way down the red carpeted steps to the center of the ballroom, where the whole crowd had parted in anticipation. She squinted a little, just barely catching a flash of something bright through the crowd.

Then she noticed...the woman being escorted by a tall attractive man wearing an ivory mask that beautifully contrasted his suit, was also wearing the exact same gown! Not only that, but she noticed the long pink tresses styled in loose waves that flowed easily down her back as she moved, oh so gracefully, with her partner.

The couple made their way to the center of the crowd, and the man bowed before his pink-haired dance partner before moving one arm to her waist to sweep her up into a graceful waltz. "T-that's me!" the pinkette in the crowd squeaked, before covering her mouth quickly. "I...I mean I'm, and that's...what's going on here?" she whirled to face the shorter woman, who oddly blended in well with all the elegantly dressed people, in her plain cloak.

"Yes," she nodded calmly. "You see child, what most people think of as 'reality' is formed from a mixture of our thoughts and experiences. What one believes to be true is based entirely on your own perception. In dreams, you are no longer bound by the physicial limitations fixed upon us in the real world, and so anything imaginable becomes 'reality'."

"But what does that _mean_? Why are you showing me this?" Sakura questioned. "And just who_ are_ you?"

"As I've stated before I'm a forseerer of prophecies. I have the ability to look into someone's soul and reveal their thoughts, hopes, dreams, fears and desires. Anything at all about a person, I can discover with just a glimpse. I've peered into your heart, seen what you fear, what you hope for, and what you want the most...because of your rare passion and kindness. I'm willing to grant you what you want; I'll temporarily loan you a small fraction of my power, and you'll be granted the gift of inner sight."

"Inner...sight?" she repeated slowly. This had to be the strangest dream she'd ever had. Never mind the time she had a high fever and dreamed Ino was a witch who lured her to a house in the woods made of candy and tried to cook her in an oven...only to wake up trying to eat her own was by far, _much_ stranger... and bewitching. Even if it _was_ just a dream, what the old woman was offering was rather tempting. Rather tempting indeed... "So you're saying, I'll be able to peek into people's souls, just by looking at them?" Sakura found herself asking before she could stop herself.

"Yes, but your powers will be limited. You will only be able to look in the souls of those who's hearts are open to and desire you, and only while they're sleeping."

"What do you mean _'who's hearts are open to and desire you'_?" Sakura knew of many people who's hearts were open to her...but none who truly desired her. Yes, there were many men who seemed to be infatuated with her as of late, and who were alll fighting for her affections, but as far as she was concerned, they were all just playing a game with her.

None of them truly felt anything for her beyond skin-deep lust, which was why she refused to give into the sweet words, expensive gifts, or seductive advances many of them constantly attempted to win her over with. She refused to have her heart bitterly broken again...

"My poor child, you've suffered many heartaches in the past, bu think of this as a new start. There are many who would gladly mend your torn spirit, if you would only let them. Tearing down the walls between you and them...that will be your goal." she sighed, shaking her head slowly. "Now come here," and without thinking, Sakura bent down towards her a little, and the woman tapped her forehead with a glowing blue fingertip. "When you awaken, you'll see things clearly."

And before Sakura could sputter in protest, the ballroom began fading away, and she was sitting up with a jolt, only to find herself back in the cabin. She breathed heavily, glancing around her at the mass of bodies piled on the floor. Everything seemed normal enough...she'd probably just had a bad dream. Damn it all, she knew having a ramen-eating contest with Naruto before bed was a bad idea.

But they'd promised that if she won, they'd let her go back to the hotel early. She couldn't pass up such an oppurtunity. Of course she'd quickly learned what the others had already known; no one could trump Naruto when it came to eating ramen. The blond had easily packed away fifty plus bowls and was still rearing to go when Sakura went rushing for the bathroom on her tenth.

Now she felt exhausted, as if she hadn't slept at all. She was so tired se could drifted off right then and there, groping billionaires be damned. Well, she might have felt that way, if it weren't for Hidan, who she somehow failed to notice was lying under her, hadn't pinched her ass in a bruising squeeze. Growling under her breath, she managed to bring her shin up into his toned stomach, which he felt just enough to loosen his hold with a grunt so she could escape.

Even in their sleep, these guys were still a bunch of ultra-perverted bastards...

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><p><strong>Please Read:<strong>

**So how was the first chapter? I'm **_**sooo**_** super excited. And yeah, as you might of guessed, I'VE DECIDED TO MAKE THIS AT LEAST A TWO-SHOT! Had to put that in caps so you wouldn't miss it, even if you're just skimming through. Please be sure to stay tuned for the next chappy, ok? I don't know how good I am at doing one-shots... so the whole two-shot thing might kinda be more for me than anything else, but hey, at least you guys can enjoy it too, right? Yeah...that could work. Anyway, please leave lots of reviews! It'd make this authoress' humble heart **_**soo**_** much happier.**

**Hehehe...her having a history with Sasuke wasn't really like I planned it. But it fits in so well I figured hey, why not? But don't worry faithful readers; there'll be plenty more fluffy moments with Sakura and **_**all**_** the other men in store. Sasuke has plenty of competition to keep him busy.**

**And I know, I know; it seemed like they all kinda fell for her prett fast. Sorry if it seemed rushed. But really, most of them only have a general interest in her right now. It's only infatuation, and the thrill of the chase, that's motivating most of them right now.**

**Only Sasuke, because he's known her the longest, and Naruto, who seems like the type that'd fall head over heels in love at first sight (at least in Sakura's case), truly have more than raging hormones on the brain right now. Although there's a good bit of that mixed in regardless. So we'll just have to see how our poor, reluctant heroine fairs with all these men suddenly vying for her attention.**

**P.S. Finishing this chapter was exhausting, and I struggled with not running out of steam. I was listening to 'Stitch by Stitch' during the last part. I'd like to promise that an update will come quickly, but my computer has a virus and I can't even pull up the internet! I'm typing all this from the family computer in the living room and it's like 12 o' clock midnight...soo...yeah, just hope my computer gets fixed soon, so I can get back to updating all my stories at least (semi) regularly.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Note: No longer a two-shot. Please read on for further explanation.**

**Hi and thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter. I really appreciate it. Sorry for those of you who have been waiting for updates on any of my other stories. Besides that though, I've decided this story will be a full story, not a terribly long one, maybe 5 or so chapters for now. **

**I never really get around to finishing my projects for one reason or another (maybe cuz they're all so fun for me to work on?), so I'm trying to gradually make my stories shorter in the hopes of actually completing them. Not all will be shortened though, just some of the recent ones like this!**

**But it will definitely have a much longer sequel, with even more lovesick billionaire madness for our poor, unfortunate heroine. XD I really look forward to doing the sequel and I hope you'll all be willing to check it out when it's up. So please stay tuned, because the the fluff and comedy has just begun. ;) **

**Lots of GaaraxSakura action in this chapter, with some others, but mainly them! I've also kinda given up on making this a two-shot (just re-stating in case you didn't see it above). There's just too much to the plot to cram into 2 chapters smoothly. So how 'bout this? I make this a full-story, with a few one-shots by request to the first few reviewers from each chapter starting now? So if you wanna one-shot for your favorite couple, you better get in those reviews! I will pick around 2 people per chappy from among the first 3-5 reviews and see how that goes.**

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><p>Sakura blinked tiredly, stifling a small yawn. Morning had come quicker than she'd been prepared for, and after the unusual dream she'd had the night before, she hadn't really slept a wink. She was still convinced the ramen was to blame.<p>

She sat in the large kitchen at the long dining table staring blankly at the gourmet food on her plate and gnawing listlessly on a fancy breakfast bun with some kind of strawberry crème filling.

Unknown to her, a certain blond billionaire stared at her with concern from over his loaded plate, noticing how completely exhausted she looked and the fact that she'd hardly touched her breakfast.

Despite the fact that they'd called the hotel and had some of the finest cuisine available sent over. Deciding to voice his concern, he swallowed what was already in his mouth and prepared to speak.

"Hey Sakura-chan, you alright? You look a little...out of it." he stated, his blue eyes filled with sincere concern for the pinkette and his lips pulled in a worried frown. Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to the conversation, or more specifically, a certain hostess they'd all come to adore.

Normally, they wouldn't really pay Naruto much attention, but when it came to their favorite pink-haired hostess, they'd go into a panic mode if they didn't know what was wrong.

"I didn't sleep very well last night." she admitted, closing her eyes and massaging her temples. "Too many wandering hands and not enough personal boundaries, you know?" she said dryly, cracking one eye open to glare at the men gathered at the table. Of course they found this gesture absolutely adorable in itself.

"Then perhaps tonight you'd like to sleep near me." She felt warm breath against her ear and jumped up in her seat. Looking behind her only to see the handsome face and alluring crimson eyes of one Madara Uchiha, grinning down at her.

She gave him an irritated scowl as he tried to snake an arm around her shoulders and pull her back against him. Obviously, nothing deterred him from pursuing something once he got it in his head that it should belong to him. No matter how many times he was denied.

Unfortunately, the thing he just so happened to desire most lately, was Sakura herself, something the reluctant pink-haired hostess was far from thrilled about. "Well," he asked, looking directly into her jade pools, "what do you say, love? I promise you'll be tired enough to sleep for days after—"

"Forget it, you sick bastard!" Sakura felt her eyes widen in surprise as her thoughts were somehow voiced aloud without her opening her mouth.

But then she saw all the men sitting around the table glaring daggers at the Uchiha behind her and noticed Naruto sitting with his fists clenched, practically gritting his teeth.

Sensing an impending argument on the horizon, Sakura rolled her eyes while standing, already gathering her barely touched plate. In the past two weeks she had learned a lot about some of Japan's wealthiest bachelors. Mostly that despite their fortune and fame, they were nothing like she'd expected.

Some of them, like Naruto, could be surprisingly sweet and caring when they wanted to, though most of them still had quite a few..._perverted tendencies_. And she knew if it wasn't for her job being on the line, she would have castrated them long ago. Still, it was a little...interesting how they acted.

"Madara-san, may I remind you that you have a business meeting in the next hour in a half." she stated casually, carefully slipping out of his reach and around the table to put her plate in the sink after scraping what she didn't eat into the garbage disposal.

She truly felt bad, wasting food. It was something she'd never taken as lightly as Ino, who was used to dining at luxurious restaurants and leaving whatever she didn't finish for the waiters to clean up later.

But in this case, the food wasn't something that could be saved for later, and she needed to start getting ready for the day. Something told her it was going to be particularly grueling...

"Ah yes. Thank you for reminding me, love." he smiled, settling for patting her silken locks as a form of physical contact. "You truly are an angel on earth."

Sakura simply rolled her eyes and shoved away from him, muttering that she was going to get dressed and warning any who dared call themselves brave to keep away from the bathroom door while it was occupied if they valued being able to reproduce. They cast her arrogant glances, but knew better than to test her from their first incident...

_Flashback_

_"So...we gonna do this?" Naruto hissed to the others one day on a lazy afternoon._

_"What are you saying _now_ dobe?" Sasuke grumbled, not in the mood for the blond's inane antics. _

_"Oh c'mon teme, you _know_ you want to! Sakura's in the steam bath right now...alone. With no one to keep her company." The Uchiha twitched at what the idiot was implying. Peeking at Sakura while she was only in a towel...didn't he fear for his life? _

_And it wasn't like Sasuke wanted anything to do with such a ridiculous plan...because he wasn't some everyday lecher or anything. Nope, he had no intention of spying on Sakura...none whatsoever. Seriously. He couldn't care less about what her lush curves looked like, without clothing to obscure them. He. Did. Not. Care._

_"Oh please, such a crude plan would never work...it lacks finesse." Madara scoffed, sipping his tea calmly on the couch. Oh yeah, and there was_ that_ pervert, his own uncle, who also wanted the cherry blossom. "Besides," he continued, "she has it locked from the inside...and she keeps quite a few weapons handy underneath the sink." he pouted. _

_Everyone froze, thinking the same thing, 'So he _has _tried already...'_

_"But it still might be pretty damn hot." Hidan grinned, adding his opinion. "I mean that bitch has one killer body, seriously!" The men seemed to ponder over this comment, most of them starting to drool as the imagery of an innocent Sakura in nothing but a scanty towel took over their minds. _

_"While you fools plot your own deaths, I'm going to do something constructive and call in to headquarters about our next meeting." The older redhead grumbled, getting up from his seat._

_Before he could leave the room however, he felt a new weight against him as an arm latched itself around his neck. "Oh come on danna, you'll miss all the fun, yeah!"_

_"Oh shut up, gaki." he growled, unlatching the blond's arm from his neck. "What you call fun, I call suicidal. You'd have to be absolutely foolish to pull such a stunt when you know Sakura-san's temper is nothing to take lightly. Remember what happened when you _'tripped'_ onto her chest?" Sasori reminded, causing Deidara to shudder. _

_Boy, did he _ever_...a bruise like that would be hard to forget... And it was all because Hidan decided to tease him about not getting laid enough and proceed to shove him into Sakura right as she came around the corner, leading to his face landing in a very...squishy area. The ten seconds it had lasted were absolute bliss for Deidara...but the thirty minute pummeling that followed? Pure hell._

_And so they had devised a plan to discreetly peek at Sakura from over the wall of the indoor steam bath without being seen. _

_Too bad Kiba, who had also joined in after returning from a hike, stood too close to Hidan and triggered his pollen allergy. The sneezing fit it sent the cursing religious zealot into might have been funny…if it hadn't alerted Sakura, thus resulting in a thorough smack to each and every one of their faces with one of her wet towels, not to mention the silent treatment that followed._

She smiled as she stepped out of the bathroom, feeling unusually refreshed given the circumstances. She was already dressed in her atrociously skimpy uniform, but with most of the men out of the cabin and actual time to herself for a change, she couldn't really bring herself to care at the moment. She treaded softly down the hall, taking in the silent atmosphere with satisfaction.

Who knew something so simple could be pure bliss? That was when she turned the corner and caught a glimpse of red...quickly ducking back to hide against the wall before she could be spotted. She frantically began to wonder just who the hell was it that was still in the cabin?

She'd thought with everyone off at the business meeting, or following their own agendas, she'd at least have some time to herself for a while. Slowly, she peeked around the corner again, only to spot the quiet younger redhead sitting at the long counter, seemingly contemplating something. Shakily, a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding left her lungs.

Sabaku no Gaara...he was a rather quiet, withdrawn man. Very intense in a mysterious, intimidating way. He was one of the few that_ wasn't_ constantly trying to grope her, for which Sakura was grateful.

In fact, he hardly spoke two words to her most days. When he did, it was always a direct order, never anything casual or perverted.

Sometimes she wondered just what he was hiding beneath his cold exterior. He was so unlike the other childish, clingy businessmen that Sakura hardly knew what to make of it.

She just assumed he preferred to keep up a more mature, professional attitude. Actually, she wished the others would adopt his manner to some degree.

_'Maybe I should say something...I feel like a stalker, watching him like this.' _Tentatively, she stepped from behind the wall, a nervous smile in place.

"Ah Sabaku-san, I didn't know you were still here." Sharp teal eyes glanced at her, and Sakura felt a tingle of fear jolt down her spine. His gaze was so intimidating, so piercing all at once...

"W-would you um, like me to get you anything?" she swallowed, trying to shake off her personal feelings and focus only on her job.

For a moment, it looked as though he would simply ignore her. Then, he placed a hand to his head with a sigh, before turning to look at her again. "Haruno-san...come here."

Surprised, Sakura stood there for a moment, before quickly hurrying over to him. Once at his side, she looked to him expectantly, and watched as he raked a hand through his tussled crimson hair. He looked troubled somehow.

"I-is everything alright?" she asked slowly.

"Actually, no." he replied bluntly, causing her to jump at the slight growl in his tone. "My sister..." she blinked. He had a sister? She silently wondered where this was going. "She sent this letter saying that she wants to come visit me." Sakura's mouth suddenly formed a startled "o" shape.

She wondered what kind of person this sister was to have Gaara-san so worried. "It's about the family business...I took over after my father...but now that my twenty-second birthday is approaching, the company laws state that in order to continue running in his place, I must get engaged." He pulled a sour face that might have made Sakura giggle had his words not sunken in at that moment.

Wait, what? Gaara ran his own business, but he had to get engaged in order to keep running it? Sakura suddenly felt rather sympathetic towards the young man.

She couldn't imagine what it felt like to be under such pressure. You couldn't just marry someone for power if you didn't love them...it just wasn't right. _'But where do I fit into all this?'_ she thought, frowning slightly.

"But Sabaku-san, I don't understand..." she trailed, blinking at him with those large verdant eyes that could melt a heart of stone.

"Haruno-san," he stood to his full height, now looking down on her by at least a head. "I need you to aid me by posing as my fiancé for the evening, just until my sister and the company advisors are gone." Sakura's jaw dropped. _What_ did he just say? Did he...really say what she thought he did?! Pose as his...as his _what_?

"S-Sabaku-san?! A-are you serious?" Sakura all but screeched in his face, "I mean I, I can't possibly...how could I fool people and do such a thing?!"

_'Simple...'_ a sultry voice in the back of her head chided. _'When a hot guy asks you to do him a favor, you don't question it. Who knows...? Maybe you won't need to pretend after thi—'_ she shook her head outwardly to clear it of any intrusive thoughts, focusing her attention back on the smoldering seafoam eyes staring her down.

"Well, what is your answer Haruno-san?"

_'He's asking me...but why do I still get the feeling as though I don't have a choice...?_' Sakura sweat dropped while bemoaning her bad luck. _'What can I do but accept?_'

She bowed lowly before her boss, grimacing inwardly as she was already feeling she would soon regret this. "Very well. I can't say that I agree with this fully, but I will accept nonetheless." she stood erect again to see a pleased glint in his eyes.

He smirked an almost devilish sort of smirk as he said, "Then you'll need to prepare."

...For the rest of that afternoon, Sakura was being primped and prepared for this grand event she was to attend. The handsome redheaded billionaire had hired a team of stylists, an etiquette coach, and even a tailor so that she would be presentable as the "ideal fiancé" to impress his business council.

Sakura's nose twitched irritably as her face was yet again scrubbed and powdered to no end by the cosmetic professionals attending to her. When was this torture going to end? _'I'm beginning to see a flaw in this plan...' _she thought tetchily.

This was exactly the kind of _luxury_ treatment Ino adored, and Sakura tried to avoid at all costs whenever her blond friend tried to drag her out for a girl's day.

"Ouch..." she hissed as she felt yet another pinch on her waist... And then there was the tailor, who was currently making alterations on the stunning evening gown she was supposed to be wearing later.

She stood on a stool in front of a four-panel mirror that showed four different angles. The changing screen was not in use at the moment since she wasn't undressed, so it wasn't necessary.

As Sakura allowed the tailor to yet again, tug at the dress so that the split in the side showed even more of her thigh, she pushed strands of her bubble gum pink hair out of her face.

The cherry blossom stared at the reflection of the smug looking redhead leaning against a long table behind her, glaring at him in an attempt to melt him into oblivion.

It didn't show much on the otherwise stoic redhead's face, but the glint in his turquoise eyes gave Sakura the impression that he was very amused by her misfortune. Damned redheaded devil.

"When you said I needed to be prepared, I assumed you meant be prepared for the event. Now I see you're quite skilled at manipulating words to give them double meaning. I'm being prepared _and_ tortured, something I was _not _prepared for." she hissed, narrowing her eyes into emerald slits as she watched his lips curl up in a twisted smirk, a low and throaty chuckle following.

"I have never known a woman to not enjoy being waited on hand and foot. You are something, Haruno-san." Sakura gave him a wry look.

"You have no idea." she retorted with a small smirk.

-XoXoXo-

"You know, whatever I said about the tailoring being torture, I take it back. This is the purest form of torture imaginable. You're a cruel man, Sabaku-san." Sakura currently stood in the center of the room, arms out to her sides, and several large books balanced precariously on her head.

Behind her, an older woman with a stern looking face that looked like she'd never smiled a day in her life, looked over the top of the pinkette's head, an old-fashioned riding crop in her hands. She lightly smacked the riding crop against her palm.

Sakura began trying to walk in a straight line without the books falling, and was half-way to her goal—a chair set up as a marker across the room—when the stack began to wobble slightly.

The crop immediately came down hard near her shoulder, causing Sakura to flinch, and sending the books tumbling to the ground. "Pitiful, I've never seen such terrible posture in all my years teaching etiquette." the woman said, turning up her nose as if just being in the mere presence of the pink-haired hostess was disgusting.

Sakura felt her face heat up, quickly clenching her fists at her sides in an attempt to control her anger. "Well, I'm doing the best I can, but excuse me if my having a spine requires me to bend every now and again!" she retorted, hotly. "And is this exercise even necessary? I'm supposed to be getting ready to go to a formal ball, not jump hurdles in a riding show."

Sakura motioned towards the woman's whip, which was obviously used as a tool to train horses and small ponies. Sakura didn't even think it was used much anymore since most people would agree it was cruel to slap an animal with a whip to get it to move.

For several minutes of awkward tension they were engaged in a heavy stare-down, until a young attendant, who'd been running errands for the tailor all morning, rushed up to them.

"L-let's all take a short break." she suggested nervously, her hands in front of her pleadingly. "I'm sure this has been a stressful day for everyone and Sakura-san needs to make sure she has the energy to finish her table etiquette lesson this evening."

The older woman turned on her heels suddenly and stalked off, her riding crop held over her shoulder like a general in the army. Sakura huffed, glaring at the insane old bat, before turning to the young woman with a calmer, more grateful look.

"Thank you, Haruhi-san. I don't know what I would've done to that woman if you hadn't come over when you did." she grinned genuinely, and Haruhi gave a polite bow in return.

"It's my duty to see that you are satisfied and taken care of, Sakura-san." Sakura nodded. She really liked Haruhi; something about her reminded her of her good friend and colleague, Shizune. She had her hair cut in a simple shoulder-length style, with neat bangs across her forehead, and the same kind eyes as Shizune's.

"Don't worry about me, Haruhi-san. Just watch out for that crazy hag with the whip; she might try to put a saddle on you and trot you around a corral if you let her." Sakura scoffed, imaging the cranky lady, who was known as Fuujima Iku, the strictest etiquette teacher in Japan, putting saddles on people and trying to use them like pack mules to carry things.

Haruhi tried to crack what appeared to be an attempt at a light-hearted smile, but it came out as more of a nervous grimace. "Fuujima-san isn't...that bad." she trailed off as an image of the woman forcing people to drag heavy suitcases full of books through the dirt while cackling evilly, easily popped into her head.

Ok, so that _did_ sound like something she would do. But what could poor Haruhi say? Certainly not that she thought the older lady was an evil, slave-driving witch (even if she _was_).

Sakura sighed to herself as she hobbled to a stool and removed the heels currently killing her feet. "So this is what rich people think is normal, huh?" she muttered, not noticing the shadowed figure appear behind her.

"S-Sakura-chan?" she turned around, her eyes narrowed warily as she noticed the stunned blond behind her.

"Oh, what are you doing back so soon, Naruto?" Yes, the blond had finally worn at her defenses enough for her to call him by his first name, without any kind of suffix. It went against everything she stood for as a professional, but Naruto's all-night whining went against everything she stood for as an overworked hostess who valued sleep.

"W-well, I..." the blond's words died in his throat as he stared at his pink-haired love interest sporting the slinky red evening gown.

"What he means to say is the lecherous owner of the resort rescheduled the meeting for _after_ his company's anniversary banquet tomorrow night." Sasuke explained, walking up behind him. He seemed unfazed by what Sakura was wearing, but the truth was, he was just much better at hiding it than Naruto.

"So, does that mean...that_ everyone_ is back?" Sakura asked quietly, her voice a low growl. She imagined perverts like Hidan and Madara seeing her in the dress.

The two businessmen shared a glance before looking back at Sakura. There was no way they could let the others see her in an outfit like that. Those creeps would be all over her.

Naruto opened his mouth to answer but they all turned their heads when they heard the front door slam open and two voices arguing. Sakura groaned and hopped up from her seat, rushing out of the living room and in the direction of the stairs.

"You _never_ saw me." she called to them before disappearing upstairs.

Naruto rubbed his head, trying to get the image of Sakura in the sexy dress out of his mind. He glanced to his side to see that Sasuke was already walking off.

But he glared when he noticed that the Uchiha was walking sort of funny. Almost robotic. The stupid teme _would_ pick now to discover that he had hormones.

He decided to go find Gaara since the Sabaku heir was the only one home with Sakura while they were gone, and would probably know what was going on.

_'Well, at least I know Gaara would never try to steal Sakura-chan_.' he grinned as he ran to look for the redhead.

* * *

><p>"You <em>what<em>?" Naruto stared at the redhead incredulously. Up until a minute ago, Gaara had been one of his best friends. Now he was undoubtedly the enemy.

"You know how much I hate these company social events. And I refuse to marry for the sake of reputation. Haruno-san has agreed to play the part of my fiancé for the event." the Sabaku CEO leisurely sipped a glass of water, not really noticing the blond's distress.

Naruto attempted to pick his jaw off the floor. "B-but..." Just then, a certain pink-haired hostess chose to make her entrance, dressed in her normal uniform again and holding a pair of strappy heels with a perturbed face.

"Oh, there you are Gaara-san. The designer is saying these shoes would go best with this outfit, but must I wear such...hellish heels? Before the end of the night I'll have unintentionally fallen into the arms of every guest at the party." Her nose scrunched cutely and Naruto had to suppress his blissful sigh at seeing such an adorable expression.

He quickly shook his head when he remembered what had him so distressed in the first place. "Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed, rushing to her side. "Say it ain't so...! How could you...how could you _do _this! I mean, _Gaara_, seriously?!" he wailed, getting onto his knees and clasping her hands for all he was worth. "Marry me! _Me_!"

Sakura gave him a confused look before turning to Gaara, who merely shrugged before turning away. She then stared down at the blond groveling at her feet with a light tint of pink marring her cheeks.

Seeing a grown man sob so openly like this was both comical and embarrassing. "N-Naruto-san...please _get it together_. It's nothing serious. Gaara-san asked me to do this and I agreed. We're not really getting married. I'm just...helping him out, in a way."

Naruto sniffed loudly, rubbing one of his teary eyes with the back of his hand and looking up at her pathetically. Now it was Sakura's turn to suppress a coo of glee.

The handsome blond could be a little weird, but there was no denying he had his charmingly innocent side, too. "Y-You mean...there's not really anything going on between you two that's special, right?"

"Um, no..." Sakura shook her head slowly.

Sure, she knew many of the men had proclaimed their undying love in devotion to her in one form or another, but she mostly thought they saw her as a prize to be won. Yet here was Naruto who seemed genuinely concerned, even if she didn't really think she was in any danger.

Gaara-san may have looked scary, but he was rather stoic and never really did anything to make her feel uncomfortable. She was actually getting used to his silence and daunting presence.

Naruto's eyes sparkled like sapphires as he quickly hopped to his feet and ensnared the pinkette in a tight embrace, swinging her from side to side. "Sakura-chan's heart is still unclaimed!" he sang happily. "That means I have a chance!"

Sakura was starting to see stars. Naruto was strong, believe it or not, and his bear hugs were very nearly suffocating in most instances when he got excited. Like now.

_'Oomph! I should've seen this coming...'_ the cherry blossom thought almost morosely, silent tears flowing animatedly from her eyes.

"Who's still got a chance, un?" a new voice sounded in the room. "Oi, let my Sakura-chan go, you little punk." Naruto practically hissed at the artist duo that entered the sitting room, especially the long-haired blond.

"Who's gonna make me, sissy?" he stuck his tongue out in a childish display, and Deidara's short fuse was quickly lit.

"You...bastard, I ought to...!"

"Deidara, the boy is just a young brat. Squabbling with him is a waste of time." his partner intoned, strolling into the room as if he had no cares in the world and lightly tugging Sakura's hand.

Sasori wasn't the biggest or smallest man she'd ever seen, but he had a certain aura that made him seem almost edgily dangerous in contrast to his beautiful looks and mellow voice.

He also had hidden strength, she noted as she was tugged with force from Naruto's arms and into the redheaded artist's. Sakura's soul, which had begun seeping from her lips, slowly disappeared back into her body, and she gave Sasori a breathy but grateful look. "T-Thanks Akasuna-san...y-you can put me down now." she smiled weakly at him, but he ignored her request, doing an about face and marching right out of the room.

She could hear the two blonds protesting behind them, but the sound was quickly drowned out as he brought her to a spacious room several doors down and in a cozy space at the end of the hall.

He opened the door with ease, even with her in his arms, and she looked around in wonder at Sasori's many half-finished creations.

He set her down in a chair next to his work bench as he also took a seat and tinkered with a hand-sized marionette. Sakura watched in fascination as his fingers deftly moved to attach the puppet's joints and fasten the strings.

"Wow…" she sighed, leaning in slightly with her head in her palm, "You really are good at this. It's no wonder your carvings are so famous." She was of course referring to his prized wood carved exhibits, found in the most exclusive galas and art museums around the world. One of his pieces could easily sell for millions. Now she fully understood why.

He smirked triumphantly as he watched her eyes glowing with curiosity. He knew someone of her dignity and work-ethic would appreciate the work of a _true_ artist.

No pansy ass clay sculpture or blasphemous ink-based painting was going to win her over. Somewhere else in the cabin, Deidara and Sai both simultaneously sneezed, and had the urge to insult Sasori.

"I believe art is eternal…by carving out my work out into elaborate pieces they become immortal and will carry on my legacy."

Sakura stifled the urge to giggle a bit at how dramatic he was being while maintaining such a blank face, but smiled instead. Sasori was…a strange man.

Perhaps not the strangest considering the company he kept, but far from what she would call normal. He had a snide tongue that completely counteracted his angelic features, and as she'd seen from his arguments with Deidara he could be quite ruthless with anyone who crossed him.

Yet when he was working on one of his prized carvings, he became almost serene, and with his handsomeness it was hard not to be awed as he seemed to work magic.

And yes, though she would never admit it, she found his little quirks interesting in his own way…just like all the other wealthy men she'd encountered recently. They really were a strange bunch for a group of powerful, respected businessmen.

Sakura suddenly felt eyes on her and looked up slightly to see Sasori watching her intently. She flushed brightly at being caught in a daze, having been so focused on watching his hands.

He studied her undoubtedly unique countenance. Her eye-catching hair was bulled back and out of her face in a ponytail, with only a few strands that had managed to escape touching her forehead.

As she had watched him, she had unconsciously bit her lip in focus as she studied his technique, something he suspected she often did in her work as a medical professional. The way the work light on his desk illuminated her face as she leaned slightly forward and made her jade eyes shine was captivating in itself.

Yes, he had seen many beautiful women and some far more gorgeous than the fiery-spirited girl. But none of them had that glow, and that was what set her apart from the rest. What drew his attention. At first he had thought it was simply because he wanted to use her as a muse.

It wasn't often one saw a woman bold enough to bluntly scorn _the_ Uchiha Madara. Let alone some pink-haired, baby-faced slip of a thing. It was comical the way the man's eyes had widened, to say the least. And totally unexpected.

He had decided then that he would have her. Not for any intimate purposes, but for entertainment sake. She would be a source of inspiration for his art. He was proud of himself for coming to this conclusion, but as usual there were those who stood in the way of his goals…

Deidara. That idiot. He couldn't even remember how long they'd been feuding…was it since college, or sometime in early high school?

It didn't matter; he and the idiot had never seen eye to eye about the most passionate thing in both their lives, and that was enough for him to despise the blond in the same way that he considered him somewhat of a close friend and even closer rival. Just don't expect him to admit this anytime soon.

And as usual the blond felt it necessary to test Sasori's ever waning patience by competing with him on the one thing he was absolutely determined to have.

When Sakura had exploded at them in their initial meeting, the moronic sculptor had seen the passion in her eyes and immediately declared her a true work of art worthy of his fixation.

He claimed her emotions to be an explosion of true art in its purest form as she so vehemently rejected them and declared herself unattainable and immune to any attempts to wile her—never once thinking that this statement would only make her more of a prize—proclaiming that from that moment on, he would pursue Haruno Sakura in the attempt to court her.

Of all the women in the world Deidara could have gone after, why was it _his_ doll? Sakura may not have thought she belonged to anyone, but she _would_ be his and only his. It was only a matter of dislodging the other parasites that tried desperately to cling to her in hopes of winning her affection.

He may have found Deidara's view on art wretched and atrocious, but he could agree just this once of his stance on the beauty that was Sakura. His hand slowly reached up, and she watched him somewhat nervously as his graceful fingers delicately traced the contouring curves and planes of her smooth face.

Her high jutted cheek bones, rosy with just a dust of pink…the small but luscious lips…the thin, finely-arched brows, the long lashes that ghosted against her cheeks each time she fluttered her eyes… Yes, she was astounding.

"My dear Sakura…how Kami must have toiled to create such a vision of everlasting beauty," Sakura's face flamed at Sasori's smooth honeysuckle voice complimenting her, tinged with just the barest traces of genuine admiration.

"A-akasuna-san…I really think I should be getting back…the others should be back. And I suppose I should start making something…" she stood from her seat a little awkwardly, tripping slightly in her flustered state before managing to pick herself up to bow and then leave.

She exited the redhead's temporary studio without waiting to be dismissed. By the time she was strolling down the hall with head held high, she had managed to contain any amount of anxiety she felt, but she was still very much unused to receiving intimate attention from the opposite sex. Or anyone, for the most part.

The sight of the empty kitchen was a welcomed relief, as she would be able to prepare dinner in peace before leaving with Gaara-san. She figured the others must have gotten tired of waiting to ambush Sasori for stealing her away and had gone off somewhere. _'I just hope I can get out without those other morons seeing me…'_ she shuddered.

Not only would Gaara have to find a new last minute fake fiancé, but Sakura would also have twice as hard a time deterring their attention if they saw her in the slinky red dress (which she still found scandalously risqué in its tightness).

She mentally ran through everything she had learned that afternoon in preparation for the event. Which fork was for eating steak and which was for salad. What the proper way to fold your napkin in your lap was, according to the direction the person's next to you was facing.

Only directly addressing someone from a certain angle and all kinds of other complex etiquette rules that had made Sakura's head spin, '_If I had known the full extent of what I was getting into, I would have never agreed. But I'm no quitter…all I can do now is put my nose to the grindstone and go for it._'

She absently took some raw beef from the freezer and sliced a variety of fresh vegetables from the refrigerator as she wondered if guts alone would be enough to see her through this evening.

She picked up a jar of seasoning and sprinkled some over the simmering meat in the pot. '_Not likely…but Gaara-san will be there if anything happens, right?_' She was hoping that after all she had to go through the redhead would at least come through on having her back tonight. Well, if he didn't, he'd be hurting himself too, wouldn't he?

She took a quick sip of the broth and added in some of the chopped vegetables before stirring. She smirked as the pungent aroma of the stew began to drift through the air. It wasn't bad at all, if she did say so herself. Ino may have gotten the looks and the fame between the two but Sakura had the smarts and the skills to be on her own if necessary. She took another small taste of the broth and concluded that it was almost done.

All it needed now was a little bit of chili flakes to give it some kick. "Now where did I see that thing…?" she muttered to herself as she stood on her tiptoes and glanced in a few cabinets. Soon, the only ones left were the taller ones far out of her reach. "Oh, come on!" she through her arms up exasperatedly with an angry pout. It felt like at times the world mocked her puny frame.

Determined to have the perfect stew Sakura grabbed a chair and stood it right up against the counter directly below the cabinet she wanted to reach. She stood on it, subconsciously brushing down her skirt as she stretched, her fingertips just managing to brush the bottom of the cabinet. '_Urgh…almost there! …Damnit!_' Her eyes squinted as she reached even further and in a bold move, she managed to grab the cabinet handle in a single jump. '_Cha! Take that goddamn laws of physics!_' She nearly sweat-dropped after that thought. She sounded like her old 'inner' self from her childhood for a minute.

"Now let's see…it should be right…ah, there!" she spotted the elusive jar, right behind the spicy mustard and next to the pickled plums. She reached for it, but unfortunately it was out of her reach and, this time the more she attempted to grab it, the further back it went. She was ready to kick and scream and pull her hair out in frustration.

"Can't _one thing_ go right today? Just _**one damn thing**_?" she sighed to no one. "I just want to make the perfect stew so I can keep this job another day. Sweet Kami, that's all I'm asking!' She was aware she was being…eh, a little melodramatic…but that was how she rolled! When she got cranky, she could win an Oscar for the drama it brought on.

"Alright…here goes!" She leapt as hard as she could in the stupid heels of her uniform, grabbing the ledge of the cabinet before her fingers slipped and she lost her balance.

She teetered, her arms flailing to grab something, but all she could feel was air. "…What are you doing…?" a lazy voice inquired.

And suddenly with a startled squeal Sakura went careening backwards, twisting on her left ankle in the process. She closed her eyes, expecting quite a few bruises on the way down, but her fall was cut short as she was caught by something firm and suspiciously warm.

Hands over her eyes and body still trembling, Sakura slowly lifted her head from where it was tucked into her chest and cracked an eye open, "H-huh?" Sakura tilted her head back and looked directly into lazy brown eyes that were currently studying her skeptically.

"Geez…what's wrong with you woman? Don't you have any sense of danger?" Shikamaru shook his head at the petite hostess in his arms.

"N-Nara-san?" Sakura squeaked, just a tiny bit nervous. Her cheeks were a light pink hue that made the pinkette look quite charming. She smiled shakily, "T-thanks…that could have been…bad."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and began to set the pinkette down when she hissed.

"Ngh…damnit!"

"What is it?" Shikamaru gave her a confused look, his voice actually tinged with concern. Sakura shook her head adamantly, embarrassed.

"N-nothing…nothing at all!" She knew she wasn't convincing anyone when he gave her a pointed stare.

"Troublesome…let me see." He commanded, not waiting for the ok as he helped her make it to the kitchen table and then propped her throbbing ankle up on another chair. He examined it carefully, gently turning the foot this way and that and giving it a few experimental prods. Sakura bit her lip to keep from making any more noises.

"Uh, so…i-is it alright?" Sakura asked worriedly. She didn't have that much experience treating sprains and fractures in her section of the hospital, and the last time she'd seriously hurt herself, it was in fourth grade when a certain evil redheaded ice queen shoved her out of the swings when she was pushing herself as fast as possible. She'd landed on her arm funny and fractured her wrist.

It had hurt like a bitch and it took everything she had not to give Karin the satisfaction of seeing her bawling like a baby. But _she'd_ been the one crying in the end when Ino had found out…afterwards, the evil girl had a nervous tick whenever she so much as _saw_ the Yamanaka.

She didn't want to admit it, but her ankle was killing her. In hindsight, trying to grab something from the highest cabinet in the room wearing four inch high heels and balancing on a chair wasn't the smartest idea she'd ever had…

"Looks like you sprained it…but it's nothing too serious. Put some ice on it and try to avoid putting any more pressure on it than necessary."

A part of Sakura was relieved and the anxious breath she expelled told him so. She gazed up at Shikamaru slowly with curious eyes and the dark-haired male quirked a brow when he caught her staring, looking slightly uncomfortable, "W-what?"

"Sorry if I'm being rude Nara-san but…I never thought you'd know so much about sprains. Do you study medicine?" She honestly didn't know. All of them were very powerful men for a number of reasons, but she had yet to learn all of their occupations, and since Shikamaru seemed so knowledgeable about the topic it made her curious.

"I…don't know that much. But my family is in the medicine industry and has been for generations. We grind the antlers of deer and use them to make all kinds of medicinal products." He explained evenly. Sakura's eyes widened with fascination, causing the normally lazy male to flush slightly. This girl was so troublesome…why was she getting all excited?

"…Really? Then you must supply to Konoha General, right? Have you ever worked with Tsunade-sensei?" she was positively giddy now as she spoke of her mentor. Shikamaru gauged her reaction before nodding slowly.

"She's been one of our best buyers for years…even taught my old man a few things about new ways to use them back in the day. …You close to her or something?"

Sakura's cherubic face lit up suddenly, despite her earlier pain. "Hai! She's currently my mentor during my internship at the hospital~!" Shikamaru studied her bright and beaming face and suddenly felt inexplicable warmth surging in his chest. He turned away quickly before she could notice his sharp featured face heating up.

"Uh…I'll go see if I can find something to fix you up…hey, do you smell something?"

"Eeek!" Sakura squealed, "My stew!" she stumbled to make it to the stove, only to trip clumsily and have Shikamaru support her again.

"Stay still, woman. You're not gonna help that sprain by jumping around like that." Sakura pouted sulkily before nodding.

It was then that a set of footsteps came down the hall, and a bright head of blond followed. "Mm…what's that smell, un?" Deidara peeked around the corner to see Shikamaru and Sakura in the kitchen. One of Sakura's arms slung over his shoulders while he drew her close to his side with an arm firmly wrapped around her waist.

On the stove top, a large pot was beginning to bubble over. He shot the two a look that asked what happened, but walked over to the stove to turn the simmering pot down when he saw Sakura glancing in that direction worriedly. She sighed with relief and gave him a grateful look, which he returned with a small grin.

"So…" he looked a little more serious now as he eyed the two. "Care to explain what all the physical contact is about?" his eyes narrowed at Shikamaru's arm, as if that scathing look alone could burn it away from the pinkette's body.

Shikamaru gave a deep sigh while Sakura looked off to the side in embarrassment. "Well, seems little miss daredevil here was trying to reach the top shelf by herself…I startled her and she slipped and sprained her ankle." Deidara's expression instantly morphed from contempt to deep shock then concern.

He frowned at the pinkette and clucked his tongue in disapproval. "Why would you be so reckless, un? You could have had a lot worse than a sprained ankle." Sakura glared half-heartedly and puffed out her cheeks in a look much too endearing to be intimidating.

"I don't need you to scold me! What are you, my mother? I was just trying to make the perfect stew…" she sighed, calmng down slightly, "but now I guess _that's_ ruined." She gave a forlorn glance to the large pot that hissed quietly as steam rose from its surface.

"You're incredible, yeah."

Sakura turned bright pink at the comment—how many times were these damn men going to make her do that today—but managed to fight off the stutter, "What do you mean?"

"You're injured but all you can think about is finishing what you started. You really are the dedicated type, eh?" Sakura held her chin up haughtily.

"Of course I am." She answered with a glint of passion in her eyes. "Haruno Sakura is not and never will be a quitter."

"There's a first time for everything you know…" Shikamaru grumbled quietly, ignoring the annoyed huff Sakura gave him. "Sometimes it's best to stop while you're ahead."

"It's a mystery how you get anything done at work…" Sakura replied flatly. "I need to finish dinner, Gaara-san needs me to—" she stopped short, gasping, and both men gave her curious looks. "Oh crap, how could I forget?!" she practically wailed. "I-I have to be ready in the next two hours!"

The two men shared confused glances, neither having any idea of her prior engagement with Gaara (no pun intended). And for the sake of things going smoothly—as smoothly as possible when a bunch of possessive lunatic billionaires were involved—she'd prefer to keep it that way.

"Er…N-Nara-san can I take a rain-check on the first aid? I just remembered there's…something I forgot to do…" She gave him a nervous smile and he eyed her owlishly before nodding.

"I'll fix your ankle as soon as you finish with whatever. …But if you get more seriously injured walking around like that, don't blame me…"

Sakura smiled, giving him her "tough look". "I can handle it!" Nonetheless, she needed help making it from the kitchen to her spacious bunk in the cabin.

She was thankful that they'd all be going back to the hotel the next day. Sleeping out in the resort's wooded area was more tiresome then therapeutic. Mostly because of her 'comrades'.

"Uh..." Sakura bit her cheek and looked up through thick lashes bashfully, "D-do you mind helping me back to my room, Nara-san?" Shikamaru stared at the unintentionally innocent face she was making and tilted his head to look up at the ceiling, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Yeah...I guess if I've helped you this much..." he grunted, carefully wrapping an arm around her waist and bending slightly to hook another just behind her knees, minding her injured ankle all the while. Sakura gave a small, embarrassed squeak before instinctively bringing one arm up to circle his neck, sheepishly waving to Deidara as Shikamaru exited.

Of course, the blond wasn't happy to see his love interest in the arms of another man, but Sakura was injured, and making a fuss would probably only sour her mood further, so he decided that he would later do something for her while she was recovering that would put him in her good graces. _'Patience Deidara my man...patience.'_

Shikamaru had finished helping Sakura to her bed as she'd instructed and stepped back as she swung both legs up, glancing around the room with a frenzied gleam to those expressive green eyes. "You need help with anything else before I go?

"This startled the young woman enough for her to turn her head back in his direction and blink; apparently, she'd forgotten he was there.

"H-huh? O-oh um, well...I _do_ need to speak to Gaara-san. I hate to be a bother, but do you think you could tell him for me Nara-san?" she looked down at her lap awkwardly, clearly not used to asking for help for such simple things.

Silently, Shikamaru wondered what she needed from Gaara that could have her looking so wound up all of a sudden, but deciding it wasn't his place to question her, he simply nodded. "Sure. Let me know if you still need help with that ankle later," he offered before leaving Sakura to her thoughts. She called a postponed shout of appreciation, pleased that someone other than just Gaara knew the proper way to respect someone's boundaries.

A painful throb caused her to divert her attention back to her swollen ankle and she frowned heavily. _'How could I be so careless? Now I'm probably gonna be out of full commision for a few weeks at least while this heals. Tch. So stupid! And I feel kind of bad...I did promise Gaara-san to help out and he is really counting on me? ...Hm, maybe I could still find a way to be his escort?'_

She was still wondering how to hide her shameful clumsiness when there was a quiet knock and then Gaara himself stepped through the door, sharply dressed in his normal semi-formal work attire of a crisp white dress shirt under a classic black blazer and matching slacks.

Even when he was away from his professional setting, he never missed a beat. Sakura could really admire that in a man, being somewhat of a workaholic herself. Though she'd prefer the term diligent employee. She was just devoted to her job! There was nothing wrong with that. Besides, she knew her limits and it's not like she was _nearly_ as stubborn as her mentor...

For a minute, sharp teal eyes ringed in black clashed with mellow jade orbs. Sakura was the first to blink and Gaara's gaze trailed down to land on her injured foot, now propped up on several fluffy pillows for added support. "I take it you had somewhat of a mishap since I saw you last."

It was more of a statement than a question and given his flat tone, Sakura just had to laugh. Bitterly of course.

"If a 'mishap' means being stupid enough to try to reach the highest cabinet in the kitchen and spraining my ankle on the way down, then yes I suppose you could call it a 'mishap'." she smirked.

"I took you to be a much more practical woman, Haruno-san." he crossed his arms as he looked into her face, and Sakura was sure if he had eyebrows, he'd be raising one of them skeptically.

"Yes, well so did I." she retorted, huffing haughtly, "But I guess my pride got the better of me in this case. At any rate I apologize to the inconvenience to your plan Gaara-san. We did have an agreement..." she muttered the last sentence and looked to the wall on her right side.

"It appears we did. But given the circumstances I understand if you can't follow through," his voice was blank, almost annoyingly uncouth, but Sakura was sure she'd spent enough time around these stoic types by now to begin to read between the lines some. Nothing but a flash of concerned frustration gave it away but Sakura still saw it and it was enough to convince her.

"No Gaara-san. A deal is a deal. I honor my commitments. Something as simple as a sprain," she gestured toward her reddened ankle, "Won't stop me from doing what I said I'll do. I just need to be fixed up a little and then we can get ready to go."

The steady gaze in her eyes stopped him from questioning her and for a while he simply stared into her determined face, admiring her resolve. Haruno Sakura...she continued to intrigue him to some degree. She was quite the persistent and sturdy woman for one so dainty looking and doll-like.

He smirked his approval, "I'll call our on-call medics to come and have a look at you, then I suppose Fuujima-san and her team will return to finish off your make-over." Gaara's eyes shined with amusement as the pinkette bit back a hiss at the man.

"You are truly evil. Armani suit and all," she grumbled. Gaara just knew this get together would be much more interesting than any the company had ever thrown before.

* * *

><p>Even though she had an idea of what to expect and Gaara's team of specialist had spent most of the day prepping her, Sakura still found herself a little in awe of the banquet hall they had just stepped into. She held onto Gaara's arm securely, half for support and half because they were suppose to be a dignified young couple.<p>

As soon as everyone spotted the red-haired young executive they rushed over to give greetings and offer blessings, complimenting his charming, exquisite bride-to-be. Sakura thanked them demurely whenever a compliment was directed specifically at her, flushing when appropriate with minimal effort to make the embarrassment seem realistic.

Luckily, after explaining the situation to the prep team, Sakura had been able to get away with wearing one-inch heels with a fit more like flats. She wore a thin padding around her injured ankle designed to appear flesh-toned and invisible and the pain killers she'd taken prior to getting into the limo had done their part. She was ready.

Gaara gave her a subtle nod out of the corner of his eyes as if to show his approval and she gave a similar nod back. They walked carefully toward the center of the room, where the majority of the crowd was congregated, emmersed in conversation.

But as soon as the redheaded billionaire stepped among him the idle chatter dulled down to sporadic murmers as they stared expectantly. Sakura wondered if all engagement banquets thrown by corporations were this reverent and stuffy when a woman's low voice called out to the man beside her.

"Gaara?" The pinkette stared as a beautiful woman in a navy cocktail dress that fell off her shoulders easily slid her way through the crowd, her eyes shining brightly with happiness as she spotted the red-haired man. "Gaara, I knew it was you!" And before Sakura knew it she was forced to release her hold on him as the sandy haired woman drew him into an embrace. "How have you been little brother? Still have that stern face I see," she chuckled lightly as she drew away, touching his hair affectionately.

Sakura blinked as she let this information sink in. So this was Gaara's older sister? Huh. She would've never really pegged them for siblings. It was obvious they had both inherited their looks from one of the two parents since they didn't have too many common features. She wondered who took after whom.

"Temari, as vivacious as ever." he nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips despite his more reserved greeting.

It was then that the woman's eyes shifted over to Sakura and she realized it was her turn to be analyzed. She tried her best not to fidget and still appear like a cultured, upper class woman fit to be such a powerful man's fiance.

"Hello, you must be my little brother's fiance. I'm Sabaku no Temari," she introduced herself and held out a silk gloved hand.

Sakura returned the handshake with as charming a smile as she could muster, "Yes, I'm Haruno Sakura. Pleased to make your aquaintence."

Temari smiled lightly and nodded. " You know when Kankuro and I got the news from Baki that you'd really found someone and the engagement banquet would commence, I admit we were trying to imagine just what a woman impressive enough to steal your heart would be like. I must say Gaara I'm a little surprised you actually have someone you'd be willing to commit to like this without the higher ups forcing you into it. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see you step back from work and settle down at all." Temari sighed as she seemed to be thinking of her past doubts. "But I see maybe I should've had more faith in you. Not only did you meet someone that makes you happy, she's beyond even my expectations looks wise." Temari's calm smile turned suddenly more devilish. "But you wouldn't settle for anything less would you?"

Sakura's face flushed lightly and she shot Gaara a small smile as she noticed him looking a little annoyed by his sister's teasing behavior. "Temari, enough with the quips. Where is Kankuro?"

Temari seemed to think before looking behind her and gesturing toward the wine bar stationed in the far corner. "Where else? Getting a drink and hitting on every half decent single girl that walks by. I thought he'd be better behaved since this _is_ a big occassion...but I guess I gave him a little too much credit..."

Gaara could just make out his brother's burly figure on the other side of the room sipping from a crystal glass and smiling flirtily at the niece of one of his top advisors. His idiot brother would really push Gaara to strangle him one day, he was sure.

Sakura followed the redhead's lead as he made his way to the refreshment table with her in tow, Temari close by. "Kankuro,"

The man had his back turned to them as he charmed a giggling blond, but when he heard the deep bass of his brother's voice he turned to acknowledge him and a wide, excited smile lit up his face.

"Gaara, how's it going?" he moved into hug his brother lightly. "Man, I guess congratulations are in order. Can't believe my little brother's getting married before me," he patted the younger man on the back and joked teasingly, but Temari snorted in amusement.

"I don't find it too hard to believe. You may be older but your brain definitely matures slower than your body." Temari retorted, causing Kankuro to fire back indignantly. Gaara interrupted stoically before all hell broke loose.

"Kankuro, this is Haruno Sakura, my fiancé." Sakura smiled as the brown-haired man appraised her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Kankuro-san," she stuck out a hand. Kankuro was practically beaming now.

"Hey, you don't have to be formal. We're practically family already," he raised her delicate hand to his lips. Temari rolled her eyes and Sakura did her best to restrain her annoyed twitch.

_'Oh great, pervert alert...'_ Sakura's subconscious announced.

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa, that was a long one. I hope you appreciate me making it super long to make up for the abscence! Well...that and, mostly I just couldn't think of a suitable place to end it until here. <strong>

**_NOTE_: I really, really would like to ask those who just follow/favorite to review. I appreciate those of you who take the time to do so, even the guest reviewers. I'm not one of those authoress' that requires a certain amount of reviews every time before updatng, but I do appreciate feedback, especially to let me know if I'm doing a good job.**

**It's really important to me, and while I write these stories mostly for entertainment, I really rely on the reviews to help encourage and fuel my creativity. So PLEASE think twice before just clicking the "favorite" button without leaving a review.**

**To be honest it kind of annoys me...if you like the story and wanna see it updated, then say something or the writer won't know and there won't be any sense in favoriting at all. Sorry to go off on a rant there for a minute...it just irks me.**

**Anyway, I hope to see you next chapter. ;) What million-dollar mishaps will Sakura find herself in next? Hmm...guess you'll have to wait and see won't you?**


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